13 faults
by it's simply me
Summary: Feelings don't just suddenly appear. They need to start with moments, connect together with memories and solidify with personality. And of course, luck. Very much like the quirk of Creation. Eventual TodoMomo.
1. Chapter 1

I've always wanted to write one of these stories; the ones where it takes its time getting the characters together, yet slowly, gradually and surely it starts to happen, so by the end you really feel it, and it really means something.

I wouldn't say Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are an OTP of mine (update 8/8/17: they hella are an OTP now), but man do they look hot together xD I feel like it's a relationship that's lightly hinted at, but it will never be acted upon, simply because that's not what BnHA is about. And that's perfectly fine; what are fanfics for after all?

The story itself I plan to put in three parts; starting off the year (which I feel needs to be slower to build some form of a friendship), summer until winter, and then the finale arc, if you will.

There aren't any spoilers for the manga/anime, and as I'm an anime only viewer (although I know the happenings of the manga), I've tried following the canon timeline as much as possible, though I may ask manga viewers questions from time to time, just to have things be as believable as possible.

Now my history with chapter stories is absolutely abysmal. But I'm a fair way into this one, and I know pretty much where I'm going with it. So I feel pretty optimistic. I realize this is a couple not so widely clicked on and hence support will be low, but I need that encouragement people! Through reviews ;D

Now, begin!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, manga, or any related official work.** I am but a measly fanfic writer leeching off someone else's hard work. Let this disclaimer work for the entire story, because I do not wish to repeat it every chapter. Cover picture by the talented hinata-ryo on tumblr!

Also, I haven't bothered going back and quoting the dialogues word for word (too lazy). So do me a favor and imagine they're exactly the same :D

* * *

 **The First Fault**

' _No!'_

The crowd cheered, the screams of thousands blurring in her ears, grinding at her brain like white noise.

' _No! No! No!'_

The match had only just started. There was no way. She was Momo Yaoyorozu, she was levels above the rest, she was a recommendation, people _believed_ in her ability as much as she did herself. This...this reality was... An impossibility.

" _Momo is out of bounds! Fumikage Tokoyami wins the match!"_

Her eyes blinked unseeingly at her shoes, brand new, exhaustively chosen and modified by her, the perfect grip, the perfect pedal arch, the perfect sole. Supreme shoes. For a supreme hero. Shoes that were currently stood hardly an inch behind the line.

An inch.

Her grip was still tight on her rod, her brain alert, gears still whirring through the different possibilities of winning the match. There was no way it was already over, before she even had a chance to _start any of them_.

"I hope I didn't hurt you."

She looked up. Tokoyami had walked over to offer sportsmanship-ly condolences.

Her mind ground to a halt. _'Hurt me...?_ '

Incredible. That was how little a threat she had posed to him. 'Winning was in the bag, let's try winning without injuring the poor, helpless girl.' And suddenly, she was filled with rage.

"Barely felt it."

And she left.

* * *

The match between Todoroki and Midoriya was the first one that interested her enough to get her to rise out of her depression. Her eyes locked onto the half-and-half redhead and she instantly and unashamedly knew who she was rooting for; Midoriya.

Todoroki was a fellow scholarship student, and as her male counterpart, she felt like the comparison people made between them was only natural. They fell into the same category, so it only made sense to compare the two of them with each other. She'd never really minded this much. She had enough faith in herself and her abilities to know she'd never under-perform to the extent where people would start to doubt why she was there.

Until now.

So, in a state of blind self-pity, she prayed Todoroki would lose, just as she had, if only to help her save face. And she was fairly confident he would lose as well. From the little she had observed, Midoriya was equipped with a very powerful quirk capable of blowing anything away. Although the repercussion was him breaking a finger, and that would be enough to stop an average person from trying their hardest, she was also fairly confident in her deduction that he cared more about winning than he did his own well-being.

Another reason she was so confident was because Todoroki was so adamant on not using the other half of his quirk. She'd asked him, once, that if he shot ice out of his white half, did he ooze magma or something from his red one? Of course, she'd received a frosty glare (a look that could freeze hell itself over, so to speak), which was answer enough. But just to make sure, she brought it up again during the tag team round, where she suggested using heat and ice to create several advantages, fog screens and the like.

"I only use ice. I leave the minor details to you."

And although she could have taken that as a compliment, she knew what he'd meant to say was 'Don't ask me again.' The message got through to her loud and clear; he didn't use his left side. A massive handicap she was sure would be his downfall.

Five minutes into the match, and on the edge of her seat, things were progressing as she had anticipated. Although Midoriya had taken far more damage than she'd calculated, Mr Ice-Only wasn't doing any better. He was holding his dominant hand too stiff and mist formed whenever he exhaled; the cold was getting to him. But every time she was sure Midoriya had him flying off stage, Todoroki would throw up a frozen wall, catching himself just in time.

Still. She slumped back in her seat and turned her eyes skyward. He was good. Too good. He had sharp instincts and thought on his feet. Even if he lost, he'd put on an incredibly good appeal, flashy and powerful. And it was only half his strength. He could lose and still hold his head high. _'Dammit.'_ She cursed internally. _'I guess that's what you get for praying for another's failure._ '

A roar of flaming intensity drew her vision back to the battlefield. _'Wha-?!'_

Flames had erupted over half of Todoroki's body. Her jaw dropped. How...how could this be? She had him pegged! She _knew_ he'd never use his fire side, she was _certain_ of it! What had _happened?_

And then the air within the stadium exploded.

* * *

She felt sick.

Maybe it was the sudden changing of extreme temperatures, or the hot winds or the eruptive noises. But whatever it was, she suddenly felt suffocated, trapped between her classmates in the bleachers, a massive headache building in the back of her brain. She needed space.

And so it was as she was walking around the inner hallways of the stadium that she saw Todoroki. He looked like the worse side of exhausted, his walk hardly better than a tired shuffle, the left side of his shirt burnt through, mouth pulled in a tight frown, eyes half-lidded and weary as he stared at the ground. She watched him for a while.

He really was incredible. The air around him smelt of ash and mist, like flavored, minty oxygen. It was neither good nor bad; it just smelt like power. He was grades above impressive just using his ice quirk. Add to that fire? It made him… She looked at him, hard, studying his eyes especially, the heterochromia of his irises unnervingly sharp and vivid. He was unique in every possible way.

It made him powerful.

It made him stand out.

It made her _jealous._

"Congrats on the win." She heard herself say. He gave a slight jerk at the sudden interruption of his thoughts, still a few meters away. He looked up.

"Yaoyorozu. Thanks."

And that was it. He started walking again.

"How does it feel to win?" she asked, voice quiet. He answered without stopping.

"…Exhilerating."

It was the way he said it. It was like someone had clenched an iron fist around her heart. Losing _hurt._ She felt lower now; inadequate. Before, there was a mutual level of respect between them. An understanding she had always held sacred, a feeling she had tucked away in her private little corner. But now…now he didn't even deem her worthy to stop for. She grit her teeth. She'd get that back.

It wasn't _fair._ That should have been _her,_ mentally exhausted yet thoroughly satisfied with a victory. _Why_ was she not still competing? How could she have let this happen? And suddenly, whatever emotion was bubbling in the pit of her stomach roared to life.

"I wasn't expecting you to win."

He stopped. Her heart gave a joyous beat at the minuscule victory.

He arched a silver eyebrow at her. "No?"

"No. Ice was never enough against Midoriya."

To her surprise, he let out a breath of laughter. She didn't think she'd ever seen him smile, let alone laugh. If it could be called that. Must be the adrenaline. ' _What winning a difficult match does to you…'_ she thought wryly.

"I suppose the only fool here was me."

What was he _talking_ about? Playing it humble? He should be arrogant. He should be flaunting his strength, and talking up his power. She would've been. Maybe he didn't find her worth opening up to. Maybe he'd never deemed her a rival, or his caliber. Maybe it was only ever her… maybe he'd never even noticed her...

She paused, letting the ridiculously false doubts plague her mind, long enough for him to notice her silence. He said nothing, but she could feel his calculating gaze pass over her.

"What did he say to you?" she asked softly.

His gaze hardened for a fraction of a second. "Who?"

"Midoriya." And just like that, his relaxed, emotionless stare was back. Her mind wasn't in a state to notice or process his strange transition of expression. She didn't know even know why she was having this conversation in the first place. "Did he say something to get you to use your left side?"

Perhaps she wanted to know what she'd done wrong. Maybe she wanted to know what it took to get Todoroki to open up- But no, that wasn't it. She didn't care about Todoroki opening up to her. Hadn't her entire issue been her feeling jealous of him _winning_ , not him _opening up_ to _Midoriya?_ She shoved that confusion aside.

This was all because she wanted to see if there was any saving grace in this for her. Perhaps Todoroki had a fault. Perhaps he'd been tricked. Maybe he was weak willed, or simple-minded or even brainwashed. And _she'd_ be the one to figure it out. She mentally laughed at her far-fetched ideas.

His eyes left hers in thought. "I suppose he did. But he didn't really." She resisted rolling her eyes at the cryptic words. "It was something I already knew, but forgot. Like I said, I was being a fool." He looked back at her to see her unimpressed expression. His mouth gave an upwards twitch, like it was trying to smile but didn't know how.

"'Was a fool'." Momo repeated. "But no longer are. More like the double-quirk prodigy." His eyebrows furrowed, not really sure what to make of her contradicting words and tone. "How wonderful for you. Truly. Your future is practically guaranteed."

His eyebrows furrowed at this, mouth pulled in a tiny frown.

"Investors will be clamoring at your door now, mark my words." She carried on. "Requests for ads, for sponsors, openings for being a sidekick,-"

"You're making fun of me." He commented.

"Au contraire. I'm stating facts. Agencies will be mailing you forms for months in hopes that you'll join. The son of Endeavor! The double quirk prodigy! The best of the recommended students of U.A. High! No one else came close! In a class of such potential, there was but one!"

"So that's what this is about." His dry statement cut her short. She blinked.

"Huh?"

"Your match. You losing." She stared at him, quite honestly shocked. But he wasn't done. "I have to say, I definitely wasn't expecting that. Someone like you should have made it a battle of the mind. It should have lasted at the very least 10 minutes." She inwardly cursed and roughly folded her arms, looking anywhere but him.

She scoffed. "High praise."

"13 faults. That's how many I counted."

She raised her head to lock eyes with him. His eyes swirled with sharp intensity, which were, for the first time since this conversation began, alert. He had been watching. He had not only watched her match, but he had analyzed it. Her heart lightened.

"And what does that mean?" she asked, voice low.

"You were recommended into U.A. for your brains. Try figuring it out." He turned to leave before she could say anything. "I'll talk to you later Yaoyorozu. It's uncomfortable talking to someone with half a shirt on."

And that's how he left her, face burning, like he'd set it on fire.

* * *

She didn't get the opportunity to press him further anytime soon. When she cornered him next, it was days later, back in the classroom at U.A.

She slammed a pile of papers onto his desk. He blinked at them in surprise, then turned his bewildered gaze up at her.

"I've spent _days_ on this Todoroki." She said, almost breathless, with a touch of insanity in her voice. "So far, though, I've only counted four, and even then, they're long-shots. For example, if I had attached springs here, maybe I could have jumped high enough to avoid that first shove. But then, Tokoyami's Shadow Beast is quick enough to have reacted almost instantly and still landed a hit.

"And here, I suppose instead of creating a shield, I could have gone with an arm guard instead. It would have been faster to create, and the surface area would have been far less and probably wouldn't have pushed me back as far since the force would have been much less. Honestly, this one pisses me off the most; I can't believe I didn't do that.

"If I had created a blade instead, that could have helped. I admit I need more long range weapons in my arsenal, but most are too complicated to create on the spot-"

She looked over at him for the first time since starting her tirade. He was staring at her like he'd never seen her before. It could only be described as shock, but Todoroki Shouto wasn't really the 'shocked expression' type. His brows didn't rise up, but his eyes widened. His lips parted ever so slightly to show off a glint of white teeth – the Todoroki Shouto version of a jawdrop, she assumed. All this made for quite an intense look.

"What?" she asked hesitantly.

"None of this is what I was talking about."

"Huh?!"

"But honestly," he ran his thumb over the side of the modestly sized pile. "If you've come up with this many mistakes, then I don't see the problem." He flipped through the pages. He let out a snort. "Complete with diagrams." He said under his breath.

She snatched her project away from his unappreciative, judgmental hands.

"I don't fully understand the roots of your power, and the extent to which you can take it." He clarified. "I assumed you'd understand the weaknesses and areas of improvements of your quirk yourself. Better than anybody."

She crossed her arms, papers hugged tightly to her chest. "Still you counted _13_ mistakes?" she felt her heart drop. She was so sure he'd been talking about her choice of weaponry. "What were you talking about then?"

"Faults, not mistakes. Faults are what one describes an error in form or stance. What astounded me was the simplicity of each one. Anyone could have made them." Her brows furrowed at the stab at her abilities. She opened her mouth to remind him she was, indeed, 'anyone', but he continued. "Things that anyone can afford to make, but as students admitted by scholarship, _we_ can't. Even if the rest of the class doesn't really perform, they've still proven themselves at the entrance exam. We have to grab whatever opportunity we get. They have a head start. And still, hardly anyone at U.A. makes faults like this."

Momo felt her throat tighten at this. So not only was she not the level at which a recommendation student should be performing, but she was below the average U.A. teen as well. Why had she ever been chosen in the first place?

"But hearing your ideas, I have a feeling the reason why you have never really taken this into account is because you rely so heavily on your quirk." He had leaned back in thought, and was talking as if to himself. His thumb drummed aimlessly against the surface of his desk. "I mean, to see you improve and dissect on only your quirk where other areas are so clearly at fault – clearly this is the center of everything you stand by."

"Everyone's like that." She interjected. He gave her a sidelong look. "Everyone focuses only on their quirk."

"They don't." Her teeth grit at his complete rebuttal. "Most people's abilities lie in their body able to physically support or compensate for their quirk. The only exceptions are probably you and Uraraka. Possibly Tokoyami. You all could use your quirks regardless of the weakness of your body. My tolerance ability would be very much lower if I didn't follow strict protocol. In hindsight, Tokoyami was a very bad matchup for you, someone so slow to act."

She glared at him. Of course he'd break everything down this way. Why had she even bothered coming to _him_ of all people. She was pulled back to attention as Todoroki motioned for her to give him her wad of notes. Her arms tightened her grip around them possessively.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

He gave her a deadpanned stare.

She sighed and handed them over. After shooting her an irately quizzical look, he pointed to a diagram on the first page and she leaned forward to better see. It was a bird's eye view of the first action, Tokoyami's Beast slamming into her.

"Here," he said. "Anyone's natural instinct would be to jump. But instead, you defended."

"Well of course! If I'd jumped, the beast would have just swatted me out of bounds midair."

"Then mid-air you would design something to help you. To fall slower, or to angle the way you were thrown. Just suggestions. I don't know exactly how your quirk works or its limitations. Dodging to the side would have worked too."

Momo didn't hear anything beyond _'fall slower.'_ That could have actually worked… a parachute's molecular composition was easy to produce as well. She leaned closer, one hand on Todoroki's desk, another gripping the back of his seat.

"Then here," he continued, her attention and curiosity at what he was saying increasing with each word. He flipped to the third page smoothly, as if he himself had designed them. "You had an opening here. The objective was to get away from the boundary line, but you were too busy being dazed-"

"I was _not dazed._ " She snapped. "I was thinking of what I could create which could blow him away."

"There is no time for thought on the battlefield."

"Well my quirk _needs_ thinking for it to work."

"I don't understand your quirk." He said indignantly, as if not knowing insulted him as a person.

He really was curious wasn't he? She sighed. "The objects I create don't just appear. I have to create them from the molecular level. So if my concentration level breaks and the molecules don't form properly at any one point, the object will come out crooked or faulty."

Todoroki gave the papers a hard look. "Your quirk is too much of a hassle."

"Well I'm sorry for being born with such a hassle." She huffed.

"Your apology doesn't affect me. It's you who will suffer." He said stoically. "Unless you find a way to make your creations instinctual. How can you not have done this already?"

"I create at least 50 different weapons regularly."

He was getting frustrated. She just rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you're getting some insight as to how difficult it is being me."

"I'm amazed people even deemed you U.A. level." It was one thing for her to think it, but to hear it from someone else just irked her to no end.

"If we were actual friends, I'd so have smacked you for that." She snapped, wondering for a split second if she'd crossed a line.

"With your physical ability, I probably wouldn't have felt it." He said without missing a beat. She resumed fuming. He turned to the next page. "And here. Why wouldn't you take this opportunity to blindside him? For a while, you were out of his line of vision, not only could you have leapt out of the way, you could have thrown something at him."

"What do you mean 'his blind side?'"

He turned instantly at this, two-foot gap between them forgotten, locking incredulous, mismatched eyes with hers. "When his shadow beast swoops away, it can't immediately turn. It's like a yo-yo. It has to take an arc, or else shrink back to make a sharp tu-"

"I know that. I'm not an idiot." Now he was just completely ignoring any mental prowess she had. "I meant that he doesn't _have_ a blind side. Even when facing away, if Tokoyami is looking at you, the Beast can see everything through him."

They stared at each other a bit, neither wanting to back down, although Momo knew she was right this time. Momo – 1, Shoto – ….probably 4.

Todoroki gave in first, turning to look back down at the papers, hand raised to his mouth in thought. They stayed like that for a while, him glaring so hard at the notes she was scared he'd burn a hole through them; staring for so long she forgot what it was he was even contemplating.

She'd gotten distracted by the border of the two colors on the top of his head. His white side was a stark, crisp white, and in the sunlight pouring in through the windows, it seemed to give off an almost ethereal glow, and looked feather soft. In harsh contrast was the deep red of his fiery side; a brilliant, piercing crimson. A few strands would blow over to the snowy side every now and then, making the white seem softer and the red seem brighter.

"Midoriya has notes as well." She barely contained her jump at his voice cutting through her distracted thoughts.

"Are you saying you give up?" she smirked down at him.

"No." Wrinkles formed at the bridge of his nose and he scoffed, as if the mere thought of him giving up was repulsive. "I'm merely saying seeing things from a different angle may help. I heard from Iida his notes are quite detailed."

She smiled. "You're really impressed by him aren't you."

Todoroki raised his chin ever so slightly. "I'm just speaking fact." She let out a snort of laughter, straightening up from his desk, and picking up her papers. Classic Todoroki, unable to acknowledge anyone. "But yes, I am."

She froze, staring at him in complete shock as he looked absently ahead. He had changed. The difference was ever so subtle, but he had. He seemed more…open now. Or as open as he could be, she supposed.

"There's more to you than one would think, isn't there?" He looked up at her from between his bangs. She bopped him over the top of his head with her notes. "Thanks Todoroki. Who knows, you may be punch-worthy one day."

And then she left, giving him a lazy, mock salute, off to find Midoriya with Todoroki staring confusedly after her.

* * *

Feedback is what us writers live for ;P


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and especially reviewed! You guys absolutely make my day xD

On to chapter two!

* * *

 **The Second Fault**

It was one of those mundane exercise classes, where everyone donned their sports gear and went outside to stretch and warm-up. But being U.A., this daily class also consisted of muscle building, basic MMA, grading from a teacher, as well as customizable solo workouts. After the initial 15 minute compulsory warm-up as a class, the students were allowed to choose how to spend the remaining hour and a half, as long as they were doing something from the aforementioned list.

The girls had chosen to break away, traversing to the opposite side of the grounds as they always did, leaving the boys to rough-house and mess around freely.

Yaoyorozu had set up an elaborate jungle gym and was currently getting covered in the mucus-y slime that was Mina Ashido's quirk. Todoroki arched an eyebrow at the scene; Momo hanging upside down, about to say something when she got hit with a mouthful of ooze. The only theory he could put together was that she was taking his advice on her lack of physical prowess seriously, and had asked Ashida to throw projectiles her way until she could dodge flawlessly. Made sense.

He watched her get hit by two more relatively dodge-able balls had she not been too busy worrying over being hit to start with. He'd have to mention that to her sometime; if you get hit, get over it and plan the next move. Her grip faltered due to lack of friction and she ungracefully clunked to the floor, but she shot up almost immediately, clearly not able to maintain such an undignified position.

He felt a smirk pull at his lips. She began to run her fingers through her jet black hair, in an attempt to remove the slime, but all it did was make the mess worse. He breathed out a closed-mouth laugh as she made a disgusted face, only to get hit with another ball of mucus courtesy of a hysterical moth girl.

"What are _you_ laughing at, ya perv?"

A thick arm wrapped its way around his neck, slamming his head into a rock-hard chest. Reflexively, Todoroki grabbed the shirt of his opponent and, using his legs as a pivot, twisted and body-slammed Kirishima onto the sandy floor. Hard.

Todoroki straightened, dusted himself off, then ran a hand through his hair, absentmindedly reminding himself of a dark haired girl he was watching only moments ago.

"Jesus Christ man, remind me never to jump scare _you_ again." Kirishima said, getting up and cracking his neck, not looking winded at all. He walked over to stand with the ice user, trying to see whatever he was looking at. "So, which one is it?" He asked, grinning toothily.

Todoroki gave him a sharp look. "Hah?"

That earned him a rough slap on the back, much to his utter irritation. "Aw c'mon! We were just having this conversation ourselves. Here, see?" Todoroki watched as Kirishima walked over to the gaggle of guys, who seemed to have started on nothing to utilize their time, probably expecting him to follow.

He didn't.

"Oy, Kaminari!" The electric ball of energy jumped over. "What's the score?"

' _Score?'_

"Uraraka and Yaoyorozu tied in the lead with 3 each, followed by Jiro with 2 and Tsuyu-chan with 1." The blond happily stated.

The redhead turned back to address him. "Care to file in your vote, Mr. Hot-'n-Frosty? We could really use a tie breaker."

Did he even want to know? "What for?"

Sero chose to help shed some light on the discussion. "Who's your pick? The bubbly ray of sunshine that is Uraraka, or deep, dark and sultry Yaoyorozu? Or maybe your tastes are rather unique and lie with the other girls?"

"What are you talking about?" Again, did he really want to know?

"The most attractive girl of our class! Duh." Kirishima said happily.

A flash of dark black hair flashed through Todoroki's mind again before his brain fully shutdown. Were they _serious_?

Not registering the twitch in Todoroki's left eye, Kaminari continued. "Well, Uraraka _would_ be at 4, but Bakugo can't get off his tsun for long eno-"

Kaminari barely dodged a relatively large explosion erupting in the airspace to his right. " _Die sparky!"_

Lucky for the electric hero, Bakugo, in an uncharacteristic act of mercy, didn't pursue the matter, and just chose to flip him a rude one before turning back to his weights. At least someone was focused.

Kaminari, expression relaxed as if he was never in life-threatening danger, turned back to the extremely paramount task of keeping the score. Todoroki chose to make his way over in the direction of the explosive hero, determining that to be a relatively safe zone from low IQ. He passed Midoriya on his way over, who offered him a quivering smile. He gave a curt nod in response.

"Iida refuses to vote for anybody, saying they're all 'equal'." The blond mocked the last word. A not-so-small part inside Todoroki agreed. Everyone was not born equal. This school was proof of that. His entire _life_ was encircled around the fact that people are not born equal.

He found a small piece of land far enough from the others and started on stretching. The sooner he warmed up, the sooner he could go to the specialized training quarters.

"Who did you vote for?" Kirishima asked.

"I was gonna go for Shiozaki," The blond happily replied. "I mean, clearly, her and I have this whole thing going on, after the sports tournament. But the guys said it had to be in our class. So I went for Jiro. She and I had a thing, too, before Shiozaki came into the picture."

' _They're fools. Every last one of them.'_

"You're all fools, every last one of ya."

Todoroki looked over at the gathering, wondering who it was that echoed his thoughts. It was…he couldn't remember his name. The little grape boy. Shoto felt a hint of annoyance at having shared anything at all with such a creature. He pushed his irritation aside and continued with his warmup, taking deep breaths in, then slowly exhaling. Just a minute more, then he'd leave.

"You people are undermining the queen, the model, the _babe_ of the class- Momo Yaoyorozu!"

Todoroki inhaled too sharply and erupted into a coughing fit. Iida was over in a flash to thump him on the back, free hand offering a glass of water, which he took with some resignation.

"I mean, how does Uraraka even come close?" the little grape continued imploringly, not sparing Todoroki a glance.

"Well, I mean, sure, she's smoking hot." The blond decided to give his two cents. Todoroki gave a final, _loud,_ throat-clearing cough. Kaminari continued. "But I just feel like she's too unattainable."

"Yeah, it's like, what's the point of looking at the Sun when you're just gonna get blinded?" Sero added. Todoroki took a sip of water and thanked Iida. Ever dependable. Clearly he never broke character.

"Yeah," Kirishima decided to give his two cents. "So like, instead of grasping for air, might as well turn our sights to something more realistic."

"Although both of them have a really nice rack." Mineta put sagely.

There was a loud thud as Midoriya, dropped the weights he'd quietly been lifting, and in his flurry of indignation hardly noticed that they dropped barely half an inch from his toes. "G-guys, cut it out. You're all being extremely insensitive. And rude. I think this whole conversation is just pointless." His hands fidgeted nervously, but his voice remained steady.

The half-and-half hero gave an internal nod of agreement. There was a reason Midoriya had earned his respect.

"But dude, you voted for Uraraka."

Todoroki watched in mild interest as Midoriya's face turned a deep, dark red, his already fidgety hands now fumbling intensely, a steady stream of words tumbling out of his mouth.

 _"_ N-n-n-no, th-th-that's not w-what I-I-I-I-I m-mean s-s-sure….b-b-but I really r-respect her, both as a p-person and a hero." And then something within the All-Might protegé seemed to snap, and a steady stream of words began pouring out in an indecipherable jumble, at hardly half the volume.

"I mean, if you've partnered up with her, you'd understand what I meant. Not to mention, she's a really nice person. She's always smiling, and being with her makes you feel better, and if you ever feel sad or lonely or upset, she always knows what to say. So I really think there's much more to her than it is you guys are trying to say, and I really think it's wrong and I don't think she or any of the other girls would be very impressed-"

"Ah, you broke him, Kirishima." The plain-looking, tape manipulator said. Kaminari smothered his laughter.

As Todoroki pulled his gaze away, he was met with a face full of round, purple spheres, beneath which lay equally large eyes staring straight at him.

"Surely you agree with me about Yaoyorozu-san," Mineta proclaimed with a dramatic thumbs up, and a wink of the eye. "Aibou!"

The transition between expressing surprise to emanating a death glare directed wholly at the tiny boy was so fast it pulled a muscle somewhere between his eyebrows. Shoto's bangs had thrown a heavy shadow over his eyes, making them appear all the more vivid. That only deepened the furrowing and increased the severity of his scowl. Mineta suddenly questioned all life choices that had led to this moment as what appeared to be steam began radiating from Todoroki's left side.

"Warm-up over people. Spend the rest of your time constructively." Their homeroom teacher's drawl came blaring at them through the loud speakers.

With a huff at letting this rubbish get to him in the first place, Todoroki stalked away as fast as grace would allow him.

* * *

Momo excused herself from Jiro and Ashido wanting to try something out for herself in the solo training rooms.

"Sure! Just leave up the jungle gym, if you please." Ashido chirped. "It's actually really useful."

"I'll probably join you in a bit." Jiro had said.

And so Momo found herself in the center of the large, tiled room five minutes later, a baseball shooter lying a few yards away. She'd decided to condition herself with pain, and had gone for physical baseballs rather than the virtual reality U.A. offered. If she couldn't get herself to react quick enough, hopefully the pain of being hit would condition some reflexes out of her.

She switched on the ball machine and observed first the way the balls were shot out, then she got in position, pumping out a few shields for practice. A ball shot out and immediately she dodged, heart racing, feeling the hard sphere flick against the ends of her hair. That ball came out way too fast. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up, only to have a whoosh of air hit her cheek as yet another one flew past.

She grit her teeth, gulping down a gasp . _'C'moon Momo!'_

Glaring hard at the machine, she braced herself, feeling beads of sweat begin to form at her temple. _'A shield. C'mon, it should be immediate, no delay!'_

The glow of her quirk flashed over her forearm and the plate began to materialize. But the whirring of the machine cut across her excitement as it geared up for the next ball, and a flash of fear shot through her mind, and it showed in the flickering of the shield. _'Shit, I dropped focus! A kink! There's a kink in the-'_

 _WHACK!_

With a dull crunch, Momo found herself lying flat on her back, groaning in dazed pain. Dully, she registered a thick, viscous heat begin to slowly trickle down her nose to her chin, and she coughed spastically when she tried breathing in through her nose. The ball had broken it.

' _Of course it had_.' She thought despondently.

She rolled over onto her side, the pain more a pounding throb in the front of her face. Clutching her nose with a numb hand, she heard the swish of another ball being released. Getting sucker punched by an inanimate object. A new all-time low. She slowly sat up and leaned forward. At least no one had seen her. She clearly needed the practice. She could not show such inadequacy in front of the others.

"You're bleeding."

Her eyes flew open, pupils pinpointed in shock, and she looked up. Another ball whizzed past her head.

' _Oh. Of course.'_

Before she had time to even register her embarrassment, Todoroki raised his right hand and created a ball of ice. She had just dazedly thought of how beautiful it looked, glistening in his hand, when he shattered it into pieces. An inexplicable flash of anger flickered through her mind at him destroying something so pretty, but the feeling vanished almost instantly as he dumped the pieces into the small towel he'd been holding, and then knelt down in front of her, gently pushing the impromptu ice bag onto the break.

She took it from his hand, not really processing what was happening. He lifted the free end of the towel and motioned for her to take it and wipe away any blood from her face. After he was satisfied she'd comply, without a word, the half-ice hero got up and walked over to the ball machine and finally switched it off. Then he leaned against it and raised a single eyebrow.

Momo internally groaned, closing her eyes and slumping over to once again lie flat on her back, facing the ceiling.

"You should keep your head elevated during a nosebleed." She heard him say.

Why oh _why_ was _he here_? Could she never catch a break? Had she perhaps angered one too many people? Or had she maybe, kicked a can sometime, somewhere, which had caused a cascade of events, leading to a catastrophe of some sort that would possibly invoke this happening to her? As if she needed to look worse in his eyes.

And then she remembered her hair was currently coated in insect mucus and she let out a groan, audible this time. Why him, why now? She cranked her eyes open slightly.

He was now hovering over her, arms crossed over his chest, wearing an impassive look. She gave him a leveled stare and opened her mouth to speak when instead a bout of cough took over. She immediately sat upright and cleared her lungs. When she opened her watery eyes she found Todoroki had crouched down as well, looking at her imploringly, as if just waiting for an excuse to help.

He was looking at her in the strangest way, too. He was a good three feet away, but it felt much closer, like he was much larger, and it was oddly reassuring. There was so much to take in with him at that moment; like the fact that he was wearing their sports gear's t-shirt, which was damp with sweat; the fact that his hair had been haphazardly parted to the side as if he'd ran his hand roughly through it, a mess of red and white, to reveal part of his forehead, which she would find incredibly attractive; the fact that he had the most perfect forearms. Yup. There was a lot to take in.

Still, for some reason, all she saw in that moment were his eyes. They were such a strange feature, telling two different sides of the same story. The dark grey one was intense (though when was he _not_ ), serious, showing that he was 100% focused on everything at that very moment. The blue one was gentler, so much more humane in the sense that it held some semblance of fear and nerves. Momo wondered if he knew just how expressive his eyes were. And she wondered if he actually cared as much as his eyes implied he did.

Feeling she could breathe again, she answered his unasked question. "I'm fine."

His eyebrows furrowed. He frowned in a way that made her decide she liked a worried Todoroki. He adjusted himself to sit more comfortably on the ground, getting tired of leaning on his haunches. "We should go to the nurse."

"No! No way." She said. "There's no way I'm telling anyone how I got into this mess."

He sighed. "You're a piece of work."

"What are you even doing here?" she asked, thoroughly irked by this entire situation. The class usually dispersed at this point, and the only ones she'd usually see were Jiro and Ashido, only because they tended to practice together.

"I was in the arena. It's the room next door. Half the class is in there."

She blinked at this. "Half the class? I can't hear anything. How are they being so quiet?"

"It's soundproof."

She frowned. "So why are you here, right now, and not in the soundproof room?"

"It was getting too crowded." He said simply.

Of course. Of course he'd decided from being in a _soundproof room_ to not at the _exact_ moment the universe had decided she needed a crooked nose. She winced as the thoughts of her nose stimulated an especially painful throb.

"What were you hoping would happen?"

She huffed. "I was _trying_ to increase both the speed at which I create protection and the quality. I want to be able to do it without thinking. I thought being hit would help speed up my reflexes." The look he gave her made her feel like she had soap for brains.

"You don't need practice creating things, you're fast enough." He said. "You need to work on your dodging and agility-"

"My agility is just fine!" she snapped. She was met with another eyebrow raise and a snort. Ooh how badly she wanted to wipe the floor with his face.

"I can tell."

"Well someone's found his sarcasm today." He ignored her.

"Allow me to lend you some tips."

"Must be my lucky day."

"And you're calling me sarcastic." He blew a quick breath upwards, stirring strands of hair which had fallen into his eyes. "What you _should_ be doing, you'll be pleased to hear, is something similar," – _"Oh praise the lord, whatever would I have done if it wasn't"-_ "But without using your quirk. And I would have suggested something more difficult to dodge than a linear projectile, but you're struggling enough with that, so-"

"Oh shut up." She snapped. She could tell he wasn't about to let this go. Time to change tactics. "As if there's nothing you have trouble with."

He seemed to think about this for a while. "Not really. No."

"Your modesty humbles me."

"I'm being serious."

"I can tell." She echoed back his words.

"Well, they say you're often blind to your own shortcomings. So enlighten me. What do I lack?"

Momo was struck with the suddenness and weight of this question. Quite honestly, that was her issue entirely; the boy had absolutely nothing wrong with him. Down to his skin, he was faultless where she clearly wasn't, and it irked her beyond belief. How was one supposed to compete with that?

She lowered the damp towel off her face, feeling the bleeding had stopped, when his hand caught hers and pushed it back.

"For the swelling." He explained. The heat she felt on her cheeks was just her body's reaction to the cold. Definitely. That's all it was. "You should probably get it checked as well. Just in case it _is_ broken."

He stood up and held out a helping hand. "Your personality." She blurted, and he blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"You asked me what was wrong with you." She refused to look at him as he pulled her to her feet, and immediately started walking. "So I'm telling you. Your personality."

"I fail to see what my personality has to do with my fighting ability." He said as he walked, leveling her pace. She had to agree with that. So she simply shrugged. "So you're admitting that I have no flaws."

"No, see, right there. Your overconfidence. It's so solid and so _big_ that you don't even realize; it's pride!"

"It's fact." He replied stoically. She threw her free hand up disparagingly. He continued though. "I've never thought of personality as something that could affect the outcome of a match. It's always about your own ability."

"Doesn't explain your match against Bakugo though."

He didn't like that, and she felt a smirk spread on her face as he let out a small 'Tch' under his breath. Momo – 2, Shouto – still 4 (maybe 5, what with the whole 'keep your head elevated' thing).

"He was just stronger than me."

"That's not what I mean." She said. " _Your_ personality was holding you back."

There was a permeating silence after this, where he simply let her words sink in. For a while, all that could be heard were the rustling leaves in the wind and the crunch of their shoes against gravel as they walked, and Momo wondered if she had maybe hit a sore spot.

But finally, he spoke. "Perhaps. Or maybe he'd have won anyway."

"Are you saying you aren't infallible? That someone is better than you?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

She'd meant to be snarky, to get him riled up, for some elusive reason, but he simply agreed with her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. His expression had regressed into something untouchable, his hands stuffed deeply into his pockets and it looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, having any other conversation. But what piqued her interest was that he had admitted that he could have lost a match. Like he _wasn't_ good enough, when he kept putting out and even _proving_ that he was. He was proving to be far more complex than she'd have ever believed him to be.

He surprised her even more when he continued. "And that's why I continue to train. I suppose everyone has room to improve." He flexed his shoulders, rolling one first, then the other, eyes closed lazily, as if he'd never been in doubt of himself. "You should consider yourself lucky, Yaoyorozu. Not everyone knows exactly where their weaknesses lie."

"True." She said, not batting an eye. "Some people even believe they don't have any at all."

Todoroki let out a breath of what she had to assume was laughter. "As long as you don't take it for granted." He said, a lightness to his voice. She just smiled.

They had walked halfway to the main building when Ashido and Jiro came running up to them, expressing worry. It took Momo a good 3 minutes calming them down, and when she'd finally turned to tell Todoroki she was okay to walk from here, he had already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Argh, that moment when you've reread a chapter so many times you can't tell whether or not it's good any more Dx This is one of those transition chapters, and it was killer to write, so bear with me here. Numerous thanks to my beta jilnachtaugen and FictionPadfoot, for without their constructive criticism, I would have never gotten round to posting this chapter.

And while on the topic, a humble request: I need feedback from everyone! If I'm doing right let me know, and if I'm doing something _wrong_ let me doubly know! As I was saying to the lovely Amandineylan, reviews are a direct conversation, and I instantly get an idea of know what to change and what to continue, and as an amateur writer, it's invaluable. It really helps me get through when I'm stuck. And there are going to be chapters I'm kinda nervous about, such as this one, so I'm especially going to need to know what y'all think for those xP

I want to update the next chapter pretty soon as well, so I hope to hear a bunch from you guys before then! :P

Once again, truly, thank you to everyone who has taken their time to show support! :') A special shoutout to my Guest reviewers; don't think I don't see you guys! I love you peeps even more 'cause even if you don't have an account (or are just lazy signing in) it means you understand how good reviews feel and took time out to leave a comment!

Anyway, enough of that; onwards!

* * *

 **The Third Fault**

The History teacher hadn't yet arrived when Yaoyorozu entered the classroom, her hair gleaming with the telltale sheen of a fresh shower.

Now slime-free, her hair was out of its usual ponytail and tied loosely at the nape of her neck, and any free strands she'd usually leave hanging out were tucked away, leaving her face more…open. Nobody paid much attention to the tall girl, especially the boys, which confused Todoroki, knowing the conversation they'd just had the previous class. She stopped a couple of times to speak with Ashido and then with Jiro, the picture of poise, very much unlike herself just an hour ago on the field.

He watched, chin on his palm, as Mineta passed a not-so-subliminal innuendo as she made her way to her seat ('So a little slime is what it takes to get you wet, eh?') causing Todoroki to throw a look so dark he swore even Tokoyami shivered.

Todoroki had never noticed how long and delicate her lashes were. They weren't the sought after thick and full lengths many women went for, yet Todoroki found himself staring at them as they fluttered and kissed her cheekbones every time she blinked. There was something sensual about the way they framed her dark eyes and added to her confident and composed aura. Someone called out to her, making her look up. Her lips went from a confused 'o' to a gentle smile, which accentuated her cheekbones. Her hand rose to tuck away strands of hair that were no longer there, a phantom reflex he found rather entertaining.

It was only after this, as he observed the sunlight break into lines of color on the crown of Momo's head, that he realized he was staring at her. Immediately, he looked ahead, trying in earnest to focus on the nothingness at the front of the class. Yet, after a while, his eyes kept flicking to his left.

Suddenly, she turned to look at him.

His eyes darted forward yet again, every muscle tensing instantly, his heart pounding, and feeling suddenly uncomfortably hot. Todoroki shut his eyes as his chest tightened and the air around him constricted, making it suddenly harder to breathe. He wedged the tip of his index under the knot of his tie and with a tug, ever so slightly loosened the knot.

He exhaled.

Calm, composed, collected. Composure was everything to him. Todoroki exhaled, reaching out for his reins of control. When he felt slightly more in control again, before he could stop himself, he looked back at her, without thinking.

She was still looking at him.

"What?" he asked, and inward cursed as his body temperature instantly shot up completely obliterating all his hard work. What was the point of having control over the two extremes of temperature when it couldn't control those critical moments?

"You were right when you were talking about my lack of physical ability." She said, with a touch of resignation. "I understood that the hard way. Pun not intended."

Todoroki felt his lips twitch. "Perhaps next time, stick with the jungle gym."

Yaoyorozu let out a frustrated groan, bringing her fist to her forehead. "Ugh, who didn't see that?"

He watched as she hid her face with her hands, her nose peeking out between them. That reminded him… "How's the break feeling?" he asked, indicating his own.

She breathed out slowly, pulling herself upright, and turned back to him. He blinked as she met his gaze once again.

"Recovery Girl made so much fun of me." She said it so seriously, he found himself fighting off another grin. He won the fight, obviously. "I hope this doesn't get around. It's bad enough having Kyouka and Mina make fun of me."

"So get good enough so no one can say anything."

Yaoyorozu sighed slightly, rolling her eyes upwards. "Serious as always." She commented. She held up a finger, indicating she'd just remembered something, and then pulled out a couple of worn notebooks from her bag. Todoroki raised an eyebrow.

"Midoriya's notes." She stated simply. "Apparently notes about our class are scattered throughout these two." Iida hadn't been lying when he'd said Midoriya was particular. And he'd thought Yaoyorozu had been excessive. Sato passed a sheet of paper to him from his right, which he took absently.

"I've only skimmed through the pages," she mumbled to herself, though he could still hear her as she flipped through the top one absently. "They're as detailed as a textbook…He's got biodata in here as well….'Yaoyorozu Momo. Quirk encompasses the ability of molecular creation. Nature once again chooses wisely, as this ability requires knowledge of science and molecular physics unlike any other.'"

She turned to Todoroki here. "He just called me smart." She informed him. He raised an eyebrow in amusement, resting his chin back on his palm. She continued.

"'However, as with all quirks, downsides exist. Number one: The quirk requires the exposure of skin; this could prove detrimental in extreme conditions, for example, in toxic fumes, where exposure to skin is avoided. In freezing, or burning conditions as well.'"

"That's a good point." Todoroki commented. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Me neither…" she said quietly. She then caught the astounded look he gave her out of the corner of her eye. "Don't look at me like that!"

"I'm beginning to doubt your title as the class's smartest."

She grumbled. "Should I even be reading this in front of people? It could potentially be used against me…"

He shot her an irritated look. "I'm not an enemy." He said. "Besides, in a real fight, I'd just depend on you not being able to dodge."

She shot him a glare, but continued reading. "'Number two: Not as effective one on one due to sheer amount of concentration needed, as well as time taken to create-' Hah! See? I was right to be trying to increase my speed."

"One should have priorities, Yaoyorozu. Fix the gaping hole before tending to the minor cuts."

The audible grumble she made in her throat was the only indication of her begrudging acceptance.

Todoroki looked away to scan the piece of paper he'd just received and felt himself groan. His eyes looked up to see both Kaminari and Kirishima simultaneously flashing him a thumbs up, expressions identical. As if rehearsed, they both pointed first at the paper, then at Tokoyami. Clearly he was supposed to pass it on.

"Damn," he heard Yaoyorozu say from his left. "He even goes on to say how each of my match-ups went, starting from All-Might's villain-hero simulation test; and then goes on to critique each outcome, weighing my quirk against whoever I've faced. This is really impressive…"

Todoroki looked back to the paper, wondering what to do. The idiots had created quite an extensive grid, with the name of the girls of Class 1A, complete with a rating system of their different attributes; hair, chest size, overall look, smile, personality – he was amazed they'd bothered with that last one at all.

The Creation heroine continued her impromptu lecture, not noticing the rather degrading piece of paper that was currently being passed around. "I wonder what they have on Tokoyami..." She was saying.

He looked up to look at the two boys and stared at them, hard. Their smiles faltered ever so slightly. He had several options then. He could scrunch it up and throw it away. Of course, they'd just fish it out themselves and continue this pointless charade. He could pass it to Iida, and have the class president deal with this mess. He could simply not pass on the paper. This was the worst option, as it would probably result in them bugging him endlessly until he took part, probably standing over his shoulder as he filled it in. He glanced sideways, watching as Yaoyorozu began reading out Tokoyami's breakdown.

He couldn't have that.

Making sure Kirishima and Kaminari were looking, he held up his left hand under the paper. They frowned in confusion for a while. Then, the air above his palm began shimmering with heat and almost instantly, they began flailing their arms in a panic, shaking their heads rapidly, cheeky, self-satisfied smiles long gone. Of course, a voice inside him whispered, he had it right now, with no one pestering him. He could just…fill it in. It was anonymous after all. He stared at the sheet for so long the bottom corner had started to curl from the radiating warmth.

"What's that?"

Yaoyorozu's voice cut through his thoughts. He'd barely blinked before the vice president herself had leaned over from her seat to try and read whatever it was on the page.

"No, Todoroki! Do something!"

"Move dude! Move!"

The entire class turned to watch as both boys practically tripped over themselves in a frenzy. Yaoyorozu took the sheet from him. They yelled. Just before she had a chance to look at it properly, however, Mineta had swiveled around and snatched the page from her hands. There was a resonating sigh of relief.

"Mineta, give that back here!" she snapped, irritated at not being fully aware of what was happening.

"Miss Yaoyorozu, settle down, please." The teacher had finally arrived. Yaoyorozu sat down, a heavy blush flooding her face at being told off. "Books out, turn to page 12."

However, they barely got 10 minutes into the lesson before an explosion sounded, like a nuclear bomb from the back of the room.

It seemed the paper had reached Bakugo.

* * *

Now that she was aware of it, Momo's physical agility, or lack thereof, was starting to scare her. She had tried at first to juggle both studies and exercise, but it hadn't really worked, with her ending up far behind any homework or extra credit, all her time and energy being spent on training. Plus her father, who worked from home, was growing sick of her endless zaps of creation. So she'd come up with a new plan; study at home, practice after school. Designated hours, no more, no less.

She had asked Aizawa for permission to use the training rooms after school, and he agreed, blandly putting that he would never understand why the recommendation kids were so enthusiastic.

And that was how she found herself still at school that afternoon, entering the training rooms. Todoroki had told her about the large soundproof room earlier, and it had sounded perfect for letting loose with one's quirk. She opened the door to her right and came into a large padded room, divided into 5 moderately sized sections, each with its own computer. This had to be the VR room.

She backtracked, walked passed the central room, and opened the door to the left. The area she came upon was absolutely massive, probably as big as the other rooms combined. The floor was lined with a strange sort of tile; rough, like the ground of a baseball field. 'Probably for grip', she thought. The walls of the arena ('arena', because it dwarfed any kind of room) were covered in murals of funky, bright colors. Large windows were placed high up near the ceiling, bringing in plenty of light, yet far enough to be spared any sort of damage. Now that she thought about it, everything in this room was probably quirk-resistant.

And utilizing the room, looking rather small in the center of such a large space, was Todoroki.

'So that's what Aizawa had meant.'

And utilizing was the correct word.

Todoroki slammed his hand towards the floor, ice beams shooting up in quick succession, like fungi growing out of the forest floor. Without missing a beat, he ran up each one, easily as if they were stepping stones, climbing higher and higher. Nearing the last one, he launched off the tips of his toes, somersaulting elegantly. Using his hand as a pivot, he launched himself off the highest pillar of ice.

And then Todoroki was falling. Hair whipped out of his face with the speed at which he plummeted, but he didn't faulter. Immediately, he held out his left hand, charging his fist with flames and instantly shot it out, like a flamethrower. The long charge of heat blasted through all the ice he'd created, and suddenly the hall filled with steam.

But as he landed, his foothold slipped, and the flames spread up from the concentrated point on his fist, spreading like a blast of air all the way up his shoulder, until half his face and torso were aflame. The echo of a frustrated curse ricocheted throughout the room as he put out the fire.

'So that's why he has his shirt off.' Yaoyorozu thought meekly, staring at the rare flash of irritation marring his usually impassive features.

For a moment, she just stood there, staring mindlessly as he doubled over, trying to regain his breath. Her jaw, slightly unhinged, coupled with her unfocused gaze, gave the usually level-headed creation user quite a brain-dead look.

Suddenly, ice pillars shot into the air again and Momo realized the sequence had restarted. The gears in her brain slowly creaked back into motion and she decided to leave, quietly and quickly closing the door behind her.

It was ridiculous. This meant that not only had he already analyzed himself, he had now decided to focus fully on concentrating and localizing the origin of his flames, instead of unleashing the explosive mess that was his match against Midoriya. A game plan with instant implementation.

Yaoyorozu sighed. The staircase between her and Todoroki only seemed to grow longer. Whenever she reached what many would see as a huge achievement, the talented hot and cold user would only shine brighter, increasing the distance even more. What she needed to focus on now were the basics.

Back to plan B: utilizing U.A.'s impressive holographic training course.

Momo reentered the room with the computers, and unceremoniously dumped her bags in the corner. She'd have to spend the day's remaining time getting an idea of how to operate it all. She walked up to the first computer and pulled up the command screen. U.A. delivered once again, offering modes complete from obstacle courses, target practice to evasive maneuvers, sneaking practice and strategy development.

Yaoyorozu clicked on evasive tactics, which pulled up another list with options on the size and type of projectile, along with the avoidance strategy. 'That's exactly what I need. Darned avoidance skills.'

Clicking on that gave her yet another list, with the first option being MMA. Yaoyorozu paused here, running the options through her head.

She knew the general idea behind it, but she'd never gone into depth, always relying on her quirk to dodge and attack. Her fitness level went as far as a daily run on her family's treadmill plus muscle building with standard gym equipment. She'd always been skeptical as to the importance of regimented, organized fighting. But perhaps that was exactly the edge she was missing.

Taking a page out of Uraraka's book, the creation artist decided to wing it. Learning from one's mistakes was the fastest road to improvement, after all. A green light turned on, and a holographic sphere was thrown at her. She stepped aside easily, and although the objects were thrown at a faster rate than the baseball machine, she was able to avoid all of them by simply dodging left and right.

After 10 throws, the simulation ended, and Yaoyorozu checked her score.

"A D?!" she cried. "61%...How in the world…"

She opened the breakdown of her performance.

Avoidance – A  
Technique – D  
Skill level – D  
Agility – C

Momo sighed, mentally pouting. 'Well, now we know avoidance isn't really the issue.' Well, on the bright side, at least Todoroki had been wrong. Sort of. There was obviously something wrong with the way she'd been tackling fights up until now. Momo looked back at the computer, checking if it offered some tips for improvement. It didn't. She sighed again.

She supposed it made sense that she was so underdeveloped when it came to this, seeing as in junior high, they only checked their actual quirks and ability to use them. Even as a six year old, strategizing had always come easy; solving each problem with her brain power and her ability to think outside the box were one of a kind.

Momo had also never really been pitted against another quirk user either, so her faults and lacking in battle had never been made obvious. That was what hero high school was for.

Regardless, according to the computer's breakdown, she needed to improve most in technique and skill. Switching off the computer, she decided to do some research.

* * *

"…What are you doing here Yaoyorozu?"

The sun was low in the sky, casting a warm glow of afternoon sunlight on the school grounds outside the training rooms.

She lifted her chin. "I've decided to train in the rooms for a while."

Todoroki grunted in response. Then, "Why do you have a pile of books?"

"They're books on how to fight," she said, nose in the air.

Momo had gone to the library and proceeded to check out every book on fighting techniques, wanting to get back to the rooms as quickly as possible. The librarian, a student from Class 1B with a bad attitude, had then told her only five books could be checked out at a time. So she had to rapidly scan through each of them, and finally managed to filter them down.

By the time she'd made it back down to the training area, Todoroki was already locking up. She looked at him disparagingly, as if it was him who decided when to close the doors.

Todoroki did something resembling rolling his eyes, and then shook his head, sighing at the floor. "Of course they are."

"I resent that belittling sigh."

He hadn't bothered changing back into his uniform, choosing to go home in his sports gear, but he'd put on a shirt (much to her relief) and thrown on a black sports jacket against the spring cold. The keys rattled as he stuffed them into his pocket and he walked over to stand next to her, peering over her shoulder to read the various book titles.

"Wait, Todoroki!" She exclaimed suddenly, making him jump at her sudden outburst. She shoved the books into his arms. "My stuff is still in there!"

She ran to the double doors and yanked on the handles, but the doors only rattled in response. She then realized that they'd just been locked, and for a moment she just stared blankly at the unrelenting doorknobs.

"Keys!" she blurted.

"Yaoyorozu, think fast."

She whirled around to face him, only to have the keys bounce off her shoulder and fall to the floor with a clink. She bent over to pick them up; hearing a snort, she straightened to glare at the source, a light flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks.

"You're lucky I'm all the way out here!" She grumbled loudly, whirling around, unlocking the doors in a huff.

"I wouldn't be worried if you were a foot away." Came the untroubled response, as he flipped lazily through one of her books. Yaoyorozu felt a vein pop. Snatching the keys from the lock, she turned around and threw them at him, as hard as she could. They landed by his feet, a good twelve inches from being even close to hitting him.

Todoroki momentarily tore his gaze from the book, and his mismatched eyes lazily flicked downward at the keys before sliding up to her; his expression, unimpressed.

Flushing in embarrassment, Yaoyorozu stalked inside. Her bag was lying as she'd left it in the corner of the VR room, and before grabbing it, the young pre-heroine took a deep calming breath, leaning against the wall. 'You're going to go out there,' she scolded herself. 'And you're going to act like someone worthy of being in U.A.' Nodding resolutely to herself, she headed out again, feeling her anger abate slightly.

"Yaoyorozu, catch them this time."

Momo blinked in surprise.

She watched as Todoroki swung him arm a couple of times, hand clutching the keys, giving her time to adjust herself. Quickly catching on, the girl deposited her bag by her feet and positioned herself, legs braced firmly and hands cupped out, ready to receive. Then the keys came flying at her, and she moved forward, eyes never once leaving the objects, following them meticulously. She lifted her hands. Now that she was ready for it, there was no way she'd-

The keys bounced off the tips of her fingers and dropped to the floor.

She heard a louder snort. Yaoyorozu's head snapped up and the scathing look she directed his way would've been enough to sear any man alive. Todoroki's expression stayed neutral. Not even a mere twitch on his stoic feature gave away his amusement, but she knew, somehow she knew, the stone-face prick was laughing at her.

With a growl, she snatched up the keys and locked the doors.

The young prodigy looked up at her finally, as she walked towards him. He extended his hand, waiting for her to give back the keys, eyes flashing with mirth, and that just ticked her off all the more. How could he keep such a straight face even though she knew he was ready to gloat? Momo grabbed the books from his arms, then hovered the keys over his hand as if giving it to him.

Her eyes locked with his.

And suddenly, her face broke into a smile overflowing with sweetness. Instantly, alarm bells went off in the back of his mind. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the keys in a wide arc, missing his outstretched hand entirely. They landed on the ground with a thunk.

He looked at her in shock.

Yaoyorozu stared right back as a carnal, savage happiness exploded in her chest. No one made a mockery of her. She suddenly understood everyone who had ever thrown away all that they had known, cherished and loved for the sake of simple, raw revenge. It was oh so very sweet.

And it lasted a glorious three seconds.

As the silence grew and he remained motionless, eyes dull with shock, the guilt hit her, and it hit her hard. She had never done something so viciously mean in her entire life. Yaoyorozu bent down herself, picking them up, and slamming them unceremoniously into his still limply spread hand. And then she began walking away rapidly, head tucked in low, flushing furiously.

It took Todoroki a good few moments to get over what had just happened before he caught up with her. It was a while longer more before he opened his mouth. "Yaoy-"

"Don't." she snapped, cutting him across. "Don't you say a word."

He blinked, then closed his mouth. He cleared his throat. The silence persisted. Her hair obscured most of her face from view, although the tips of her ears glowing red were a dead giveaway.

"I didn't know your aim was so bad."

She rounded on him, shooting him a look so angry it could burn holes through steel 30 inches thick. Her arms tightened around her books, and she suddenly regretted having her arms full when her hands could be better utilized strangling him.

A moment more passed. And then it happened.

He cracked up.

It wasn't an all out laugh (God forbid he ever waste vital lung capacity laughing), but he gave a snort, before erupting into quiet huffs, shoulders silently shaking, which he very poorly hid as a coughing fit. Her features dissolved into that of shock. Momo stared at him, disbelief and confusion clogging her mind. And then he caught her looking, and stopped almost instantly, giving a final grunt, before hiding the last of his smile behind his fist, looking off into the distance.

She stared at him a while longer before she frowned, eyebrows forming an upset knot in the middle of her forehead and she pouted, shifting her eyes to stare straight ahead.

"What just happened?" The vice president heard the grin in his voice.

Momo groaned, raising the books to cover her face. "I lost my temper is what happened." Came her muffled, frustrated reply. This time he didn't camouflage his laugh as coughs, although he still raised a fist to his mouth as if he were about to.

"Even your temper needs training."

That earned him an elbow to the flank. Although, with her arms busy holding books, it ended up being a half-assed nudge into his side, which he dodged anyway. The books teetered dangerously, and he eyed them, wondering idly what would happen if they were to fall next.

There was a pleasant silence, where Todoroki was content to just watch her; Yaoyorozu had suddenly realized she had a bag and had begun to stuff her pile of books into it. That in itself turned out to be quite the interesting feat. She first tried stuffing them all in at once, before realizing it wouldn't be that simple.

"Are you even going to read all of them?" he found himself asking.

She spared him a glance before returning to her work. "Of course."

"They're garbage." He told her.

The dark haired girl huffed. "Well, it's more than I know. If I don't start somewhere, I'll never improve." She said, not willing to be discouraged.

"You'd be better off learning by experience." He said, stopping as she did in an effort on getting the last book in. "Why not join a gym or dojo?"

"My mother is against them." She said, the final book barely fitting in, but now the bag wouldn't zip up fully. She sighed, pausing to give her exhausted muscles a bit of a break. "She doesn't want people understanding the ins and outs of my quirk."

"Well, don't use your quirk, then."

Yaoyorozu finally gave up trying to close the bag and continued walking.

"I think it's more the fact that she doesn't want anyone to doubt her, or me, once they find out how weak I am." She laughed lightly, not thinking there was anything wrong with that statement, but Todoroki frowned. A muscle twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.

"My mother is a lawyer for heroes." She explained. "I think she feels pride in the fact that I'm doing her legacy justice. She thinks it only obvious that someone as successful as her would have a perfect daughter. Having people find out I'm anything less than that would be a stain on her record."

There was a pause, and suddenly, Momo felt exposed, like she'd shared too much. She wondered why she had told him that particular piece of information. It was entirely irrelevant, and made it sound like she was more ungrateful than she actually was. Worse of all, it made people think she wanted sympathy of some sort.

"Parents shouldn't use their children as a means to an end." He said.

There was something hidden there, in his words, because Shoto Todoroki didn't say anything without reason. But she had taken too long trying to decipher it, and he was now looking at her, waiting for her response. "I don't know." she said, looking away. "I think it's her right as a mother to be able to feel pride in something her child does."

"You..." He was quiet, and she decided it was because he was trying to piece together the right words to express himself. "That's too ...understanding." He said, finally. "Nothing good can come of it."

"Perhaps," Yaoyorozu hummed in agreement. Another silence fell upon them, both lost in their own thoughts. "So I'm here courtesy of my mother. What about you? What are you doing here, Todoroki? Don't you have some massive estate you could be using instead?"

The air shifted then, and she could almost see the wall go up around him, the relaxed atmosphere gone instantly, uneasiness solidifying into something far more intense. His mouth curved down into its usual, bland frown. The entire thing was so sudden, and yet the change in his demeanor was hardly obvious at all. He had gone from warm to cold in a few seconds flat, and Momo felt just the smallest twinge of regret at having been the cause.

"I could train here or at home." He said stiffly. "If I'm here, might as well train here."

"And then when you're at home?"

"The same."

"But... when do you do anything else?"

"Such is the sacrifice of aiming for number one."

She frowned. "Well, when do you study?"

"I don't."

Momo froze. She stopped walking entirely. She gaped at him as he continued walking. Finally he realized she was falling behind and turned to look at her. He gave her a dry look. "What?"

"There's- How- But I mean- What about exams?" she finally managed.

He looked off to the side. "We're heroes; half of our exams are practical application."

"Yeah, but the other half is written!"

"I'll deal with it when the time comes."

She gaped at him. He gave her a bland look. "But…but you're so smart! How is this possible?"

At this, he turned around fully and crossed his arms. "You don't have to know calculus or the workings of a cell to be able to strategize intelligently." He said dryly.

"…Well...That's true, I suppose…"

He watched her for a while, as she lowered her gaze to frown at the floor, noting how she seemed actually conflicted at his not bothering much with academic learning. He didn't really understand where she was coming from, seeing as how his, and her, future lay in fighting crime and defending the peace. He let out an inaudible sigh.

"If it makes you feel any better, I do plan on passing every test." She looked up at him, with bright, hopeful eyes. He looked away. "And I do homework after dinner, whenever we have any."

She grinned at this, and finally rejoined him. "I bet I can score higher than you on the tests." She stated as they continued walking.

"I bet you can."

Momo pouted. "Tch, you're no fun."

"I'm not, am I."

"Again with the seriousness."

"It is my lacking personality." He said, referring to her statement earlier.

"Well you should work on fixing it."

"I would, but I'm not too sure what I'm supposed to be fixing." The large school entrance gates finally came into view. Without a word, Todoroki began walking in the opposite direction, causing Momo to turn.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Dropping off the keys to Aizawa." He replied.

"What just like that? Normal people say goodbye, you know."

"Goodbye, Yaoyorozu." She frowned. "If you haven't mastered MMA by tomorrow, I'll have to report you to the school for being inadequate."

"But it's garbage, remember?" she called after him. "Give me at least a week!"

He just waved aimlessly at her, leaving her to walk alone, grinning to her herself.

* * *

A/N: You guys have no idea how many issues this chapter has given me! Writing these two, keeping them in character, _while_ developing their relationship is _crazy_ hard. No wonder there are so few stories out there for them.

Lemme know what you guys thought, 'cause this is where the development takes its roots. I'm nervous as heck~


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: You guys *sniff* you guys are all so wonderful. It really calms me down, hearing all the feedback, which helped getting this chapter out at all (sorry it took so long ;_;), which I was again uncertain about, since it really stretches the development.

I read through this chapter, and realized it needed something more (again) and so that took me some time. Honestly, by the end of the chapter, the two characters had just taken over completely and were writing themselves. Also, in my head-canon, i'd like to think it's somewhere after this event that Todoroki goes to visit his mother (though it's a bit of a stretch).

This chapter is rather Todoroki-centered, and I've taken a rather daring (but necessary, if this is ever going to be a romance fic) development into their characters, so I'd really like to know how it worked out XP

Once again, thank you to FictionPadfoot for their absolutely incredible editing. And thanks to jilnachtaugen, whose proofreading never fails to reassure me that my chapter is, in fact, publish worthy. Thank you!

* * *

 **The Fourth Fault**

Life had started to fall into place for Momo Yaoyorozu.

She had skimmed through the most concise of the books and had a general idea of how fighting with technique was supposed to play out. Earlier in the day she had gone around asking her classmates if they knew a methodical way for combat. She was surprised to discover that everyone had learned some sort of organized martial art, whether that be karate, judo or pieces of MMA, with the exception of Uraraka, just as Todoroki had predicted; she chose to wing it because things 'somehow usually work out in the end'.

Ashido and Jiro proved to be especially helpful. Jiro had learned forms of karate, plus the wild card of street fighting, and Ashido proved to have a very good grasp at the art of Wing-Chun, a dodging art-form. The sports lesson with these two had proved to be so beneficial that she asked them both to join her after school to help her train, but they both turned her down due to afterschool commitments. (Jiro had a part-time job she had to get to, and Mina apparently lived very far away, and staying behind would push her entire daily routine back a couple of hours.) But they both promised to help out during the daily exercise class.

And so, as per current daily routine, Yaoyorozou made her way straight towards the virtual rooms after school, already changed into her sportswear. She dumped her bags into her self-assigned corner and switched on the computer, charging up her simulation program.

And that was how Todoroki found her come 5pm, halfway through a session. He quietly watched by the doorway, only approaching her once it was done.

"What was that, Level 1?" he asked, watching her rapidly swivel around to face him, her eyes wide, clearly unaware of his presence.

"Level 3." Momo said, trying to calm down her rapidly pounding heart, still breathless from the workout. "How much did you see?" She asked this with a slight reserve to her voice which she immediately cringed at. It was a tone her mother had referred to as 'the cheeky child'; a subtle rise in pitch, which made one think she was up to something, when in actuality she was feeling exceptionally nervous.

"Not much." He said, stepping forward, and Yaoyorozu's hand flew to her left elbow. "How many levels are there?"

"5." She watched as he examined the screen, very conscious of the fact that her score and technique breakdown were flashing in bright neon green.

"73%?" he asked, reading the score.

"I improved by 12." she blurted, feeling the need to defend herself. "Not bad for an amateur after a couple of weeks, right?" The ice prodigy gave a quiet hum of agreement, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. Momo watched him study everything for a while more before speaking. "Do you wanna try?"

Todoroki blinked, and turned to look at her, and she figured she'd hit the nail on the head. He looked back at the monitor and after giving the machine a final perusing, finally nodded. "Why not." He moved over to let her enter settings for his turn. The half-n-half pre-hero watched her mostly silently, face as stoic as ever, with a few interjections here and there, like "Make it level 5" or "The trajectories should be random".

"Alright, and no quirk during this thing."

Momo smothered a giggle as Todoroki's eyebrows flattened and his lips thinned in an apparent sulk, clearly not liking that a chance for showing off had been taken away. He huffed out an unenthusiastic 'fine' and got into position. She hit the enter button and stood to the side, waiting as the machine counted down.

And then it started.

There was an immediate difference in intensity. Whereas the difference in level 1 and 3 had been pretty much only an increase in speed, level 5 was exponentially different. Holographic projectiles came at the half-n-half user from all directions, with varying speeds, irregular dimensions and non-linear paths of motion.

But more impressive than the program was Todoroki himself.

Todoroki's body snapped into action. The first set of beams shot off so fast that Yaoyorozu would've had to send a prayer to the heavens to ever have even a chance to avoid it. The second his eyes tracked the flow, his entire torso flexed as he dropped to the ground, a projectile flashing mere inches over his head. His toes barely touched the tile when his fingers shoved him back into the air as the heat-and-ice-user catapulted over the second set. He was nothing short of grace and power, the forceful might this boy contained flawlessly held in perfect control. A holographic projectile bounced off a jagged trajectory and zapped his side and Todoroki cursed as he rolled in time to dodge another right on his heels

Although he stumbled once, his performance was nothing short of incredible. Beautiful, almost. He was in continuous motion, eyes flicking to all corners of the arena and on high alert. It was like a surreal sort of dance, with him back flipping, corkscrew-style, and then spinning mid-air to land with a flourish of his hands, balance near-perfect. Again and again he dodged, vaulted and careened through the air, catapulting himself over and under, all the while hardly uttering a sound.

Finally, the siren blared, signaling the end. He got up from his final, kneeling position, breathing quite heavily, sweat making its way down his face. He looked over at her, and the intensity of his bright eyes almost floored her. A hypnotizing pool of excitement, a beacon of energy depicting a high, as if a previous alcoholic now a year clear was just offered a glass of sparkling champagne. Beads of sweat made their way down his skin which was flushed in a way it got only after a satisfactory workout.

Momo offered him a reserved, gentle smile, indicating the scoreboard.

"91%," He huffed, still slightly breathless, leaning in to study the finer details. "Barely an A."

Yaoyorozu studied his face, searching for any indication as to what he was thinking, but as always, his expression gave away nothing. Todoroki absently raised his towel to wipe off some of the perspiration that was starting to gather at his hairline, the action pushing his fringe to the side in that haphazard way she'd seen it before, back when she'd broken her nose. That unlikely motion jogged her memory and she left his side to make her way over to her bag.

"Probably because I wasn't using my quirk." He was still mumbling to himself as she came back. "Still room for improvement. Should've gotten an S…"

"You do realize how patronizing that sounds?" Momo cut across his monologuing dryly, handing him over a small, folded piece of cloth.

Todoroki looked at it. "What's this?"

She gave him a bland look. "The towel you gave me before. Remember? For my nose?"

"Ah," he said as it dawned on him. "You cleaned it?"

Momo put her free hand on her hip, still holding it up. "Well, yes, since it was covered in my blood. Sorry it took so long, I kept forgetting to put it in my bag." He turned back to the monitor, switching it off, and grabbed the jacket he'd discarded next to the console. "Go on, take it," she insisted, thrusting her arm out.

The ice hero straightened up, crinkling one eye, mouth turning into a lopsided grimace. "I have this one," he indicated the towel around his neck. "You keep it."

She gaped at him as he walked passed.

"What? I cleaned it and everything!"

"I'd rather not have something previously soaked in someone else's blood," he called over his shoulder, now at the doorway picking up his bags, which he'd thrown next to hers. "Let's go Yaoyorozu. Time to lock up."

The girl huffed out a sigh. "Could've mentioned that sooner," she muttered under her breath, following him out the door.

The two of them had somehow fallen into the norm of leaving together. They both always stayed until 5pm, which was when U.A. forcefully kicked them out, and it had become an unspoken rule that they would leave with the other. It didn't usually happen that they'd interact before then, completely immersed as they were in their respective workouts.

It was on this particular walk, while Momo was discussing the use and necessity of accessory equipment for a hero, that she was interrupted by Todoroki's stomach growling. Loudly.

There was a moment of silence where everything just froze.

Yaoyorozu stared at him, mouth still open from her debate. Todoroki stiffened as his pupils shrunk to horrified points, giving his eyes an ethereal, translucent look. Then she gave a sharp inhale and time restarted. The ice user gave a strange, awkward movement where he half-coughed, half-palmed his face, like he didn't quite know what to do with his hands. He dragged his palm down slowly in utter mortification, all the while muttering profanities she could barely hear to unknown entities. Momo had her jaw dropped in disbelief, eyes slowly gathering light, excitement building as if just hearing their pop quiz results were out early.

"Is it possible?" she breathed.

"Don't start, Yaoyorozu." He huffed.

"Is Shoto Todoroki…."

"Seriously, just let it go."

" _Actually…"_

"Yaoyo-"

" _Hungry?_ "

Todoroki let out a growl of frustration, rolling his eyes skyward, cursing his God-forsaken classmates to the depths of the abyss.

Somehow, word had gotten around that Yaoyorozu was staying after school for training (although he didn't recall this being breaking news when _he'd_ started staying back). This resulted in every guy, knowing he stayed after school as well (again, no one had blinked when they found out _he_ stayed behind), pestering him for details. The details pertaining to everything ranging from what clothes she wore to whether or not they got any physical spar action on to what kind of sounds she made when training, and if it was possible for him to get a recording of it (needless to say Mineta got his mouth frozen shut for that).

They were relentless.

Apparently one of the most popular girls in their year training (like every blasted pre-hero in this school _should_ be doing) instigated this kind of insanity.

And they were _everywhere,_ from the hallways to the cafeteria to the vending machines. Forget eating, just having a moment's peace had been a luxury stripped away.

His chance finally came when a typical Class 1A scuffle broke loose. Iida being himself tried intervening but was almost immediately accidentally hit by Uraraka's anti-gravity (which she had activated in an attempt to stop Bakugo from pulverizing a quaking Mineta). As he slowly drifted to the ceiling, his flailing hands had accidentally flipped the gravity hero's skirt ever so slightly, which only doubled the already immense chaos. That was when Todoroki had finally been able to slip away to the roof in some much needed respite.

Of course, almost as soon as he reached the roof, the bell sounded for the next class and that's how he'd been left foodless for the entire day, all stemming from a ludicrous reason he'd never divulge to Yaoyorozu, ever. This, however, still left him facing the current humiliating and degrading situation he'd currently been thrown in.

"This is a special occasion; it's not every day an average being such as myself can witness the almighty Todoroki _eating_ -"

"I eat everyday, Yaoyorozu."

Momo however, was far past listening. She had begun a rant, sounding objective, like a mother listing off a checklist before her son left home for college. "But don't you worry, I have you covered. I know all the best places to eat. Most of them are cafés though and aren't nearly filling enough, although I'll have to show you Café Grapé's Strawberry Swirl Shake one day; it's heavenly.

"But if we have to eat, it's definitely going to have to be at Du Coin. They're relatively new, but their food is absolutely _incredible."_

Or more like a mother with a large pile of coupons.

"I'll have to pass."

This was a mistake, he realized too late, as she turned her sparkling eyes to him. "No, Todoroki, you don't understand, their food is on a different level. I swear to you, it's enlightening. I've been so many times, and I try something new each sitting, and I've yet to find a dish I don't like. Their ravioli, their shrimp, their lasagna, their-" She let out a gasp of pure excitement. "You can try their calzone! You haven't lived until you've tried their _calzone_!"

Someone give this girl a sedative. Please. "Really, Yaoyorozu, going into town will just take too long, and we have homework today-"

"Oh, _today_ you remember homework?" Shoto had never seen the black-haired girl so passionate before. It was quite scary. "How can someone choose _studying_ over a chance to _eat?_ "

Was this the same girl who had been close to tears just days ago when he had said he barely touched his school books? Honestly, he just wanted to avoid going downtown. Buying a cold cheese and ham sandwich from a nearby convenience store was something he'd much rather do. At this point, even stale bread seemed heavenly.

"Todoroki," his eyes snapped back to the girl currently demanding attention. Her eyebrows were drawn together, creating the smallest crease between them. Her cheeks were flushed from unconstrained excitement and the contrast made her skin seem to glow. Her dark eyes were large and bright and unblinking. He felt his mouth go dry. "A calzone. Picture it. The perfect crust, the melted cheese, the smell of garlic and oregano-"

"I….I really don't think-"

His stomach gave another, loud rumble. Momo's face had split open into a brilliant smile, the essence of happiness. Betrayed by his own body. Todoroki let out a long, hard sigh.

He needed more training.

And that was how they found themselves currently on the public bus, making their way to the central shopping and food center. Todoroki had made his way to the far end of the vehicle and slumped down as low as the seat allowed him, pulling the collar of his jacket as far up as it would go. Momo sat next to him, as prim and proper as he was rag-hazard. If Momo didn't know any better, she'd have thought he was trying to hide himself. She watched people get onto the bus, and shoot him looks, before beginning to mutter amongst themselves. He sighed through his nose and turned to look out the window.

"So how come you're hungry today? Lunch lady out of food by the time you made it downstairs?"

Ah, the dreaded question. But he was prepared. "Were you not in class today? I don't think anyone could have eaten there."

Momo gave an exasperated sigh. "Why is our class absolutely insane? Class B seems so contained and civil in comparison."

Crisis successfully averted. "It's that grape. He's the culmination of all things evil," Todoroki said, glowering darkly.

"Grape? Do you mean Mineta?" Yaoyorozu smothered giggles. He remained silent, not wanting to waste his precious energy talking about _Mineta_ of all things. He rested his chin on his palm, elbow propped up on the bus's window sill. The window was open, the wind rushing through his hair. He closed his eyes, absorbing the feel of cool air hitting his skin. The sunlight wasn't a scorching one, half hidden behind large, white clouds, making for a bright, yet gentle sky.

Maybe this outing wasn't such a bad idea.

"Excuse me?" Both teens looked up. A middle aged woman was standing next to their seat, holding onto one of the support rings. "Are you Shoto Todoroki?"

The boy in question sat up straighter and lowered his arm slowly from the window onto his lap. "Yes."

"My sons watched your match at the U.A. sports tournament. One of them was hit with a piece of concrete your explosion sent flying."

Yaoyorozu seemed absolutely taken aback by the casual way she had admitted Todoroki being the cause of a rather serious accident. But the boy in question didn't miss a beat and immediately lowered his head in her direction. "I am very sorry to hear that. I do hope U.A. gave you the fullest care as reimbursement for your support."

"Oh no, sweetheart, that's not what I meant," she waved his formal apology away. "Some hero had made it so anything that came flying towards us felt like feathers. I was just wondering though; could you perhaps sign it for him? The concrete, I mean. He's such a fan."

Him? Sign concrete? Well that was something you didn't hear every day.

Someone a few seats away had pulled out a camera. Todoroki took the piece of rock the woman was holding out and, for only a moment, he just stared at it, processing the fact that this meant she'd been carrying the stone around for the last three weeks or so. Then she handed over a marker as well, smiling expectantly.

"You want _my_ signature?" he asked.

"If you'd please," she confirmed.

He looked down at the rock, then back up at her again. "Not Endeavor's? _Mine?_ "

The woman gave him a happy nod.

With all the uncertainty of the world, he wrote his name on the piece of rock, feeling completely out of his depth and very much a pompous imbecile. If his father could see him now… With almost imperceptible hesitation, he gave it back to the woman, who began thanking him endlessly.

And then it started.

"Wait, Todoroki-kun, can you sign this too?"

"Yeah, mine as well!"

"Can I please get a picture?"

"My sister's on the phone right now, can you just say hi?"

Almost instantly, an assortment of items was thrust into his immediate vision and the noise level skyrocketed. People began shoving and tripping over as those further back tried elbowing others to make way. He exchanged a glance with Yaoyorozu, who still seemed at a loss for words. Hesitantly, he took the first object, a handkerchief, signed it, and then proceeded to the next. He winced as a flash went off from somewhere in the crowd.

"I'm sorry, but could you take a picture of us together?" Shoto paused the signing as he looked up at a girl addressing Yaoyorozu. A sudden, illogical panic welled within him as he watched the girl replace Momo as the latter stood up. The girl sat her bum down and shuffled it back until she was pressed up against him (his left eyebrow twitched), and then struck a pose. Todoroki stiffened up completely, never being exposed to so much physical contact with anyone in his life, a pen and a stranger's phone case held tightly in his hands. Momo took the picture, and then shot him an amused, self-satisfied look.

"Sorry about his face," she said, giving the phone back to the girl. "It's always like that. Please don't take it personally."

The panic disappeared, only to be replaced with an irritated expression. Darned Yaoyorozu.

The picture appeared to make things worse, and the crowd seemed to double, in both size and intensity. Had there even been this many people on the bus in the first place?

"Todoroki, our stop is almost here!" He heard Yaoyorozu call out over the hoard. He started sidling along the seat towards her, signing off one last book and being cornered with a few more pictures as he did.

"Todoroki-kun, you haven't signed my case yet!"

"Is that your girlfriend? She's so pretty!"

"Todoroki-kun, my sister's still on the phone, if you could only just say something back-"

"Todoroki, if you're such an incredible hero, why didn't you hold back against Midoriya?"

Todoroki felt his spine go rigid. He looked up, eyes instantly locking with a young boy, not much younger than him probably, who was the only one not pushing and shoving trying to get Shoto-memorabilia, and met his gaze dead on.

"'Held back'?" he echoed, croaking out words for the first time since the onslaught started.

"This is it, Todoroki!" he heard Momo call over. She was already by the doors. "We're getting off here."

He distractedly resumed pushing through the crowd. But the boy continued, talking loudly. "Clearly your quirk was much stronger. You just drew out the fight when you could have easily ended it much sooner. That's not very heroic. He was burnt to a crisp by the end of it; you could see how blackened his arm and leg were. That's probably permanent damage. You've destroyed someone's future."

Shoto stopped and stared at him. The entire crowd had fallen silent at this point, and almost every phone held out was recording.

That wasn't what happened. He knew that. And yet, just then, he couldn't think of anything to say. He just looked at the judgement and hate in the boy's eyes and something inside him clammed up.

It reminded him of the way his mother used to look at him, in those dark moments near the end. Like he was the reason for darkness in the world, as if everything damaged and chaotic was a result of _him._ He'd tried fixing that look, fixing the reason anyone would ever look at him that way. He'd given up his left side, he'd thrown away his father completely. It hadn't been the best plan, but at least he'd done _something._ He'd dedicated his life to becoming the hero his mother always wanted him to be. He tried so hard to never have anyone ever _, ever_ look at him that way again.

Perhaps the boy was right though. That side he'd sworn off, the side that bred hatred and pain, he'd used again. He'd broken a promise he'd placed by himself for himself. He was weak. And yet, here-

His inner thoughts were halted as a gentle pressure landed on his shoulder. His head snapped up to see Yaoyorozu looking at him, motioning for him to leave the bus. "Let's go, Todoroki." Her voice was firm. The doors had opened. Wordlessly, he got off.

"Oh, and kid," Momo stayed back, singling out the boy, voice firm. "If you think holding back against an opponent is the honorable thing to do, you have serious thinking to be done. Go watch the match again. Get your facts straight. Then come back, find Todoroki and give him an apology."

And with a swish of her ponytail, she left the bus as well.

A few people got off with them, but luckily, they didn't approach the pair, instead just waving as they passed. Momo reciprocated. Todoroki, however, was deaf to the world, his eyes slightly glazed over not paying them any attention at all. Momo glanced over at him, hand still raised, fingers curling absently. His gaze was rooted to the pavement, and she could see pulsations over the side of his cheek as he grit his teeth continuously. Even his hands, stuffed in his pant pockets, were bulging with the telltale mass of a clenched fist.

Yaoyorozu mentally cursed that frivolous boy on the bus once more. Talk about worldly disconnect. Although it obviously wasn't a way he'd have imagined spending his afternoon, the slight upward curl of his lips had been indication enough that Todoroki had actually been enjoying the situation, somewhat. Until, of course, someone with the tact and respect of a neanderthal decided to butt it.

Regardless, she was going to fix this.

"What in the world _was_ that?" she asked, in slight wonderment, her tone as light and carefree as she could make it. He didn't say anything, although he could feel her gaze on him. When he didn't respond, Momo sighed inaudibly.

"Would you like to just go home?"

"No." His response was immediate, but his voice cracked and came out slightly higher than he'd have liked. He cleared his throat. "No. We've come this far."

She gave his shoulder a light thump. "That's the spirit! Now let's get you some food."

As if in response, his stomach gave a light growl. His mouth gave a weak upward twitch and she let out a quiet giggle. Yaoyorozu began leading the way, and without a word, he followed. Todoroki let her stay just a step ahead of him, mind still reeling from the recent encounter. Having a plethora of emotions swirling within him never did good things for anyone. He wasn't good with emotions. For most of the walk, he was quiet. The young hero could see his companion shooting him worried glances out of the corner of her eye, but never once did she breech the silence. She was letting him have his space, and he felt a surge of gratitude for that.

"It's been like this ever since the tournament," he said finally, feeling like he owed her some sort of explanation. "Although never quite like that…"

"Being in the tournament ourselves, we kinda forgot just how big the U.A. sports festival truly is," Momo said delicately. "The exposure we got is more than we could have ever imagined…" She turned her head to give him an apologetic look. "And that's why you were so reluctant on coming today. Sorry for forcing you. I wasn't thinking." He gave a one-sided shrug. "But no! It'll be worth it, I swear this to you!"

"It better be." That came out sounding more desolate and ungrateful than he'd wanted, but she took it in stride.

"If it isn't, I'll have the chef's head served to us next," she said. "Plus, it's a weekday, so hopefully, the center won't be too crowded-"

They rounded the corner, and Todoroki had to apply every reflex to avoid running into Momo as she suddenly ground to a halt. He followed her gaze to watch the large, bustling swarm of people mulling around, extending as far as the center ran.

"It's like a bad joke," she mumbled awkwardly. "It seems… even _more_ packed than usual." A few people close by noticed them and started whispering. Todoroki looked at the ground.

He wasn't a social animal by nature. He tended to stay to himself, and preferred it that way, not having to worry about images or what people thought or pretending to be someone he wasn't. He'd known on some level that after U.A., he'd have somewhat of a name - hopefully his own and not his father's - and that people would know _him_ for _his_ achievements. But that was much later, after graduation, and perhaps a year of hero work as well. This was too soon, and unwanted, and unexpected. He'd underestimated what being strong meant in the world of heroes. What standing out meant. What being Endeavor's son meant…

Would he have to live this life of scrutiny from now on? Were the peaceful days he was used to gone for good? Could he no longer take his time going from place to place, just watching the world thrive? Was it over just like that? He didn't like this central life, with the masses orbiting around him. He didn't want to be in the center if it meant feeling this alone. He didn't -

Suddenly, a warm, soft touch cleared his mind; like a single drop bringing ripples on the surface of a still lake. Todoroki's gaze shifted over to look down at the fist he hadn't even known he'd made, now encircled by another, smaller hand. Momo's touch was gentle, but firm, and he watched, transfixed, as slowly, his fist uncurled and her hand slid comfortably into his.

And it was the strangest sight he'd ever seen.

"I have an idea," he heard her say softly, and he felt her tug loosely for him to follow, which he did.

She'd given him tunnel vision.

All around him, people were looking at him and muttering as they always did, but he didn't notice. Instead his attention was focused fully on her, and her hand ( _was it even possible for hands to be this soft?)_ holding his _._

And almost as soon as she'd touched him, Yaoyorozu let go.

"Wait here for a second."

He watched numbly as she opened the door to a shop and disappeared inside. And just as his vision of her was cut, so did the sounds of the world come flooding back in. Chest tightening uncomfortably, he turned around, slowly, to face the world. Most people hadn't really noticed him, just the odd few who were closest to him; although they had begun pointing. And as always, pointing attracted the attention of other people.

He couldn't stand this.

The ice user began pacing in front of the door Yaoyorozu had disappeared behind. What was taking her so long? What was she even doing? Weren't they supposed to be eating something right now? His stomach gave a distant growl. He growled right back. This was all those _idiots'_ fault. If only he'd had something to eat, he'd have never been here in the first place. What humiliation. What mortification. What disgrace-

A drop rippled the surface.

The touch was back. This time, he whirled around to face her, his eyes wide, but she silently dragged him a few steps forward, before pulling him into a narrow alley between two buildings and dropped her hold. Her hands then glowed with the telltale activation of her quirk, and she proceeded to seal their entrance with a large plank, cutting them off from view. He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, his expression a rare, vulnerable one of relief.

Yaoyorozu grinned, clearly proud of herself. "Wear this," she said, brandishing her latest buy; a black beanie. He took it meekly from her hands. He stared at it for a few moments, then looked at her.

"I don't wear ski caps." He said.

"What? Why not?" she asked, upset. "Is it too hot?"

"No," He ran his thumb over its fabric. "Ski caps make my hair flat."

A heartbeat. Then she burst into laughter. Todoroki tried holding in a frown. He failed to see what was so funny, watching imperviously as she clutched her abdomen. Clearly him being the butt of some internal joke was causing her physical pain, yet she didn't stop, and he couldn't find it within himself to feel angry.

"What?" he asked, once she had calmed down a little, frown winning over and planting itself firmly on his face. She wiped away tears.

"No, it's just," she spluttered, laughter fading into smaller giggles. "To hear someone like you have an issue that's so…shallow," The knot between his eyebrows was back. "So mundane," He felt a vein pop. "So _normal._ " He blinked. "I don't know, it was just unexpected is all. Kind of a relief, to be honest," Momo's smile was so genuine and kind, and he found himself looking back down at the hat.

How irksome.

The hat itself was a plain black one, which he assumed she'd chosen because she didn't want to risk buying something he wouldn't like. That was logical enough; one couldn't go wrong with black. She was being thoughtful.

How tedious.

"The secret to avoiding _flat hat hair,_ " Her eyes twinkled up at him. "Is to just muss your hair up a bit, or flip it in the opposite direction to how you'd normally part it. _Then_ you wear it."

He looked at her skeptically, before raising a hand, hesitating for just a moment before ruffling his hair completely. She doubled back in laughter again. Todoroki shot her an annoyed look through haywire bangs and instantly ran a hand back through, trying to fix the damage. How utterly pointless. She was definitely playing him for a fool. His stomach growled again and he felt his mood deteriorate by the second.

"Alright here, lemme fix it." She stepped forward and began poofing up just the hair at the crown of his head.

For a while, Todoroki had the small dilemma of where he was supposed to direct his gaze. All he could see were bits of her; her ear, her eyes, her cheek, her hair; eventually, he resolved to closing his eyes completely. Of course, that left him with the chore of trying to ignore the feeling of having her fingers run through his hair, and the sound of her breath coming out in little whiffs as she focused. Not to mention the smell...

Finally, the woe of his present existence pulled away, having gently set the hat for him, studying him like he was her finest piece of art.

"There!" Yaoyorozu chirped. "It's definitely the hair; it's too iconic. No one will spare your averageness a second glance now." He wished he shared her optimistic outlook. "Now come on, let's go out this way," she said, walking deeper into the alley. He frowned, watching as she began stepping over rotting crates and crushed cans, and it struck him how improper that looked. A person as dignified as Yaoyorozu should never have to take a back alleyway to anywhere.

But before he could call her back, she rounded the corner and motioned for him to follow.

They finally made it back into daylight. While people weren't staring blatantly or muttering to each other or pointing anymore, some were still glancing his way. And those who did quickly averted their eyes, like they'd been caught doing something improper. He frowned for a moment before his heart sank.

His scar. How could he have forgotten?

He turned to look at himself in the neighboring store's glass window. Now, without his hair covering, it was all the more apparent; a mark permanently branded into his skin. Something dark and coarse and ugly. Something he hated; a reminder that his memories of a mother were just a figment of hope he himself had created.

"What's wrong?" Yaoyorozu had noticed he wasn't following her and came up to stand next to him. Her faultless reflection next to his was too much for him. Reflexively, he pulled down on the hat, trying to cover the left side of his face. This was why he grew bangs.

"Nothing." He muttered. She watched him a bit, in a way that made him feel uncomfortable; like she could see everything, through all the walls he'd put up, deep into his soul.

"Todoroki," she said, ever so softly. "It's just a scar."

He gritted his teeth, shoulders hunching. He didn't think anyone had ever voiced it out loud, outside his family. Everyone he met just chose to ignore it, and rightly so; he'd made sure there were other things to focus on. No one had ever gotten close enough to him to notice his personality. And a good thing too. Closeness meant feeling… exposed. Vulnerable.

"Hey, come on, don't do that," Yaoyorozu said, and he inhaled sharply as he felt her oh so softly grip his arm and lower it from his face. She gazed up at him, and reflexively, he tilted his left side away from her. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was upset. Understandable. ' _Well, that makes two of us._ ' He thought wryly.

Momo then tilted her head, studying him closely and unabashedly, and he still stubbornly refused to meet her eyes. Seconds passed and she continued staring, for so long that the young heir finally exhaled, long and deep, before turning his head back, shooting her a withering, questioning glare, his eyes speaking all the words he didn't want to. This girl had no shame.

"I really don't know what you're worried about," she said, expression back to being clear and happy, which relieved him more than he'd care to admit. "I think it looks cool."

He stared at her.

The creation heroine twisted on her heel, hands clamped behind her back. "Pun not intended," she added over her shoulder. He blinked.

All his life, his scar had been an anchoring point to negativity. The only thing it had ever meant to him was violence and anger, a reminder of a grudge to never forget. It symbolized a psychological trauma that spread across a whole generation. To have something so intrinsic to his past be put so lightly; it was like she had never seen any darkness in him. It was like he was normal, and always had been.

With a start, he thought that this was probably what Midoriya had meant when he said his nickname 'Deku' had been turned from something scarring to something uplifting.

Todoroki watched her with a newfound fascination, studying the harmonious way she walked. The way her hair swayed with each step, a poof of soft, messy perfection; the swell of her hips, the slenderness of her shoulders; an elegance she presented even when in gym clothes. He didn't know how she'd done it. But suddenly, all his worries shrunk into something trivial. Like he didn't even know why he had been so frustrated in the first place.

"Let's go get a place to sit, Todoroki."

The creation heroine's words snapped him out of his trance and he gave a slight jerk, the world coming back into focus, and with it, a lightness to his soul. He turned his head to face the floor, hands stuffed deep, deep into his pockets, and tried hiding the large, inexplicably happy smile suddenly donning his lips. Todoroki let out a breath of uncertain joy, and then several more; a quiet laugh with himself.

Finally, he looked up again, smile still on his face, to see her turned around and staring at him. Noticing he had looked up, she quickly turned away, her cheeks staining a rosy pink. He smiled crookedly, his muscles still not used to the expression, and he stepped over to join her, something stirring within, somewhere deep down, and previously untouched.

Something he wasn't ready to acknowledge anytime soon.

* * *

"Well?" Momo pressed. "Best calzone you've ever had, right?"

Todoroki chewed, thinking it over. He swallowed. "It's alright."

She dropped her hands on her table, making the cutlery clatter noisily, and people from neighboring tables shot them looks. Shoto just mentally rolled his eyes, focusing entirely on his piece, by now well used to her over-reactions when it came to food.

"' _Alright'_?!" She repeated indignantly. He nodded.

"I've had better," he added. Honestly, now he was just baiting her to try and see how many colors she could turn within the span of a minute. Todoroki took another bite. Momo's mouth flapped open and closed noiselessly, her eyes practically bulging; a very good impression of a pufferfish. A solid 9/10.

"' _Better'_?!" Yaoyorozu wheezed out. He nodded sagely. "Where? Where is this place so I can go myself and completely disagree with you?"

"It's on the other side of town," Todoroki said, after swallowing. She frowned. "I suppose I can bring one for you at some point."

She liked that idea.

"So… was it worth the trip?" the black-haired girl asked, looking slightly nervous, looking down at her plate as she said this.

Todoroki didn't answer immediately, taking another bite, glancing around. The restaurant was chique, and screamed of a non-flamboyant, subtle wealth. He hadn't ever been down here before, tucked away as it was, a tiny door between two other shops, invisible unless taken to. Once inside, the place was actually quite big, with a back door that led to some sort of outside eating space as well.

They had found themselves a seat in the back corner, and away from any direct line of sight, which he considered a huge blessing. No one looked their way at all. And just then, her gaze was the only one he'd accept; unjudgmental and open. He swallowed.

"Well," He said, finally answering her question. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Is that a yes?" she asked.

"What do you think?" he asked back, taking another bite. She straightened, her food still lying half touched in front of her.

"There's no straight answer with you is there?" Momo watched him intently as he finished off the last of his meal, and then lean back in his chair, thoroughly satisfied. He was so content then that he almost forgave their class for the disruption today. (Almost.)

"You really were hungry," she said amusedly, finally taking another bite from her plate.

"Famished," he agreed.

"Is this going to be an everyday thing? Should I bring in extra cash for your lunch as well now?"

"Shouldn't be necessary."

"Wait a minute," she said after a moment of comfortable silence, a thought occurring to her. "Does this mean you did _that well_ on that simulation program while having an empty stomach?"

Todoroki huffed. "I didn't do that well. I should have gotten an S rank, and definitely past 95% at the very least."

"There you go again with your total disregard for other people's feelings." He raised an eyebrow at her in question. "I scored 73, remember?" Momo said, looking miffed.

"That makes sense." He ignored the angry look she shot him. "You've only just learned how to dodge. Considering that, 73 is better than expected. I've been fine-tuning my skills for years now. I should be perfect, especially when gauged on some two-bit machine."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Momo finished off the last of her food. "Yeah, you need practice." He shot her a look, which she didn't notice as she stood up. "Well, I think that's it for today."

He blinked. "What about the bill?"

She pulled her bag over her head and grinned. "I told them to put it on my tab." And before he could get a word in, she was out the door. Clicking his tongue irritably, he grabbed his bag and followed her.

"How much was my share?"

She gave an indignant laugh. "Hah! Like I'm letting you pay. This was my treat."

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped, reaching for his wallet. "Now tell me how much-" But as his hands tapped at his pockets, they came up empty. She gave him a knowing smirk.

"See? It was meant to be. Just let it go."

"Yaoyorozu, stop with the formalities, this is-"

"Todoroki." She stopped, looking him dead in the eyes. "It was my idea to drag you out here. You had to go through some rather…unfortunate confrontations you wouldn't have had to if it wasn't for me. It was my fault, my idea. So just, let me make up for it, alright?" he opened his mouth to argue. "Please?"

She continued walking, leaving him staring blankly at the cobblestone pathway. She had noticed. Even though he was sure he had been hiding it, and had been sure that no one really noticed, she _had_. And she had blamed herself for whatever demons he was dealing with. So much so that she had to _pay_ for his _meal_ like some child in need.

He was pathetic.

* * *

"You can't still be upset about the whole money thing," she said with a sigh, walking the streets of the shopping center, shooting him a sullen look. He looked away. "This was a one-time thing. You'll pay me back one day. That other calzone's on you."

"My sister owns that place; I'd be getting it for free."

She blinked. Well, she hadn't been expecting that dynamic. "Well, you'll find another way I'm sure."

"If I'm going to pay you back eventually, might as well be now."

"You don't have your wallet." She answered cheekily. He was about to say something before she walked through a pair of sliding doors.

"Where are you going?" he asked, following her inside without thinking.

"What, you didn't think I came downtown _just_ to feed you, right?" she shot him a playful smile over her shoulder. "You were just a detour on a trip I was already taking."

"This is ridiculous." He muttered, glowering angrily.

They had entered a drug store and he felt exceptionally out of his element as she picked up a basket, leading the way amicably to the self-care section. He hunched his shoulders as they passed by an aisle full of tampons and pregnancy tests, keeping his eyes firmly plastered to the linoleum floor. Other customers had begun to shoot looks, although he was sure this time it was less because of him, and more that two teenagers had entered the place together.

"What business could you possibly have here?" he practically hissed, feeling rather out of his element.

"My mother needed a few things," she said. She looked over at him, watching his wary glances down the aisles. "You _can_ leave, you know?"

He hmph-ed. "And walk away as if my only motive was getting a free meal? My chivalry has already taken enough of a beating today."

She glanced at him as he determinedly looked anywhere but at her. So that was the root of it all. He felt that, as the male in the duo, _he_ should be taking care of things for _her_. She tried containing her smile. She was suddenly glad he had forgotten his wallet. His pride needed to learn that a woman could lead every once in a while. Although what he said had left her quite flattered.

"You're rich, right? Shouldn't you be able to afford people to do this for you?" Todoroki asked suddenly.

"I don't think that's something one generally says to a person, Todoroki." She said absently, picking up a face lotion of some sort, and comparing it with another tube which looked practically identical.

"My family is rich too, so I can say what I want on the subject."

"Well, if you must know," she put both tubes back, and picked up another one he swore was exactly the same, but red, and threw that in instead. "We don't trust them getting us the right product. Plus, the prices are really good here."

"Again, is that something you need to worry about?"

"Having lots of money just makes us want to save it all the more." Yaoyorozu, top student that she was, would have sounded infinitely more wise if she'd backed up her words with actions. Instead she had gone around the entire day spending like-

His eyes suddenly widened and he pulled off the hat from his head, crackles of static sounding with the motion.

"This!" he exclaimed. "How much was this?"

She waved him off. "Hardly cost anything."

He sighed in frustration. She was such a classic 'rich parents' only child'. Then Yaoyorozu looked at him and broke out into giggles, muffling them behind her hand, pointing at his hair. A wave of foreboding washed over him. Todoroki strode over to the nearest mirror and sure enough, his fears were confirmed.

"I told you this would happen," he grumbled. His hair had indeed flattened, un-flatteringly defining the top of his head, while the ends stood up, charged with electrons. He proceeded to viciously ruffle his hair, creating a soft flurry of white and red, crackling with electricity. She handed him a bottle from her basket.

"It's hair tonic. It should help." He took it, studied it for a moment, before lightly squeezing some into his palm. He then proceeded to sniff it. "Just use it Todoroki," she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly.

She watched as he started running his fingers through his hair, scooping the awry strands from his forehead and slicking them back, leaving his face fully open for the first time. Standing to his right, without the scar obstructing his face, Momo was able to study the half-ice-half-fire hero's features properly.

He was actually quite pretty, not at all like Endeavor, what with his sharp, slender jawline, small nose, and the elegant arch of his eyebrows... Too pretty. Maybe the scar was a good thing.

"This is why I hate hats," he said irritably, looking at her then, hair now flicked back, and she felt herself flush at being caught staring, immediately looking away. She knitted her fingers together, feeling suddenly awkward.

"B-But," Darn the high pitched frequency her voice had reached. "You needed it today. Right?" she asked.

Todoroki noticed the edge to her voice. Not the embarrassed edge (he ignored that, because her being awkward made him feel awkward); the edge that showed she wasn't always so self-assured, and that she was in need of consolation. He pulled the hat back on.

Tapping her on the nose with the bottle of gel before handing it back, she looked up and he gave her a small, calm, reassuring smile.

"I did."

* * *

"Where have you been?"

Momo gave a large jump at the sudden breach of her thoughts. She had been closing the front door to the house when her mother's voice came from the living room. She turned to look at the older woman's reflection in the large wall mirror; she was sitting on her favorite spot on the wide, leather couch. Her mother loved that spot, and, since she wanted also to able to see whoever entered their home, had placed a mirror on the opposite wall.

"Mother! You scared me. I'm not used to you being home before me."

"Don't change the subject."

Yaoyorozu sighed. "I went to buy your lotion." She said, dismissively, walking passed the living room to the kitchen.

"The _full_ truth, Momo."

 _'Oh for Pete's sake._ ' The young heroine, dumping the shopping bag onto the table in exchange for grabbing an apple from the basket of fruit on the kitchen island. She made her way back to the living room. "I went out to get some food with a friend before that. I'm sorry it took so long. It won't happen again."

Her mother stared at her, gaze stone cold, sizing her up as she placed the bag of drug store products, glasses glinting in the sharp lights. Momo stared lightly back, well used to the behavior. Finally, her mother tilted her chin up. "Make sure it doesn't. There will be consequences."

Momo sighed at her mother's clipped, formal tone. "Yes mother." She bit into the apple, half expecting the lecture to continue, probably to elaborate on those consequences. But instead, her mother had begun staring at the opposite wall. Strange.

"Is something wrong?"

Her mother gave a blink of surprise, as if she had already forgotten her daughter was there. She studied her, as if determining whether or not Momo was worth sharing information with. She must have been truly burdened, because finally, Mrs Yaoyorozu spoke up.

"Your father is having an affair."

Momo gaped. The apple fell from her hand.

"…Huh?"

* * *

A/N: Quite a long chapter, sorry about that. Or maybe it was a good thing? I dunno :P


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you SO much to everyone reviewing! Every time I get that notification, I just want to update immediately - and so I then spend ages editing, mulling things over and end up rewriting almost everything. Basically with every review, know that I edit for a good couple of hours (yes, it takes hours :')

But with every edit we get closer to an update, and that motivation is ALL you guys! Thank you so much!

I'm sorry for the longer than usual wait guys. I've been stuck writing up applications, running tests and writing cover letters all week; why is applying for internships so hard? Plus, my dad decided to whisk our family away on a road trip for over half the week, so that took up some time as well :P

Also, due to several suggestions from you guys, I made an AO3 account and posted this story there, under the same title, so yeah, that's a thing. But this version on fanfiction will remain a step ahead than on AO3, cuz Fanfiction is my home xD

But anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter! (A really long one, to hopefully make up for the slightly longer wait)

And apologies in advance for Jiro's potty-mouth xP

* * *

The Fifth Fault

* * *

"Your father is having an affair."

Momo gaped. The apple fell from her hand. "…Huh?"

"He came home late last night," her mother continued.

Slowly, finally, the gears started turning again and her body unfroze itself.

"A…And?" she asked, finding her voice.

"That's it."

Momo couldn't contain the heavy sigh that escaped her lips. She bent over to pick up the apple. "Oh for the love of- Mother, that could be due to any number of reasons."

This was so classic of her mother. A person could have been perfectly honest, followed everything to a T, and yet luck would lead circumstances in such a way that her mother would latch onto it, like a starving dog to prime-rib.

"It could be," her mother stiffly agreed. "But your father has no reason to leave the house in the first place."

That was true. Mr Yaoyorozu ran a hero-gadget lab attached to the side of the house. His quirk was similar to hers, although not as powerful or specialized. He'd used it as the baseline to build an organization centralized around supplying weapons or gadgets heroes may need. He almost never left the lab, not even for dinner. Any groceries or errands were left for the women and servants to handle. In fact, the last time her father had left had been for her high school admission interview.

So for him to have not just left his lab, but the house entirely, was quite surprising.

"Still, it could be anything. You've got to make sure."

"That's what I plan to do." The Yaoyorozu matriarch said, resuming her task of glaring a hole through the opposite wall.

Momo sighed again.

Satomi Yaoyorozu possessed the nitpick quirk. Easily explained, her mother had the ability to examine anything to its finest detail. This included everything from a crime scene to a simple, guilty tick, no matter how intricate. It wasn't the quirk a superhero could use in battle, and she was immediately denied admission into any superhero courses. But her mother hadn't been swayed, and her passion for justice remain strong. She decided that it would be her who sentenced the guilty, her who would find the facts, and her words that would have them locked up for good.

It had made her into an unparalleled lawyer.

However, justice aside, Momo's life had been very tedious as a result. Whether it be leaving her glass of milk only half finished, not completing her homework or performing poorly on a test, she could never get away with anything.

Back when she had been in preschool, Momo had insisted to be allowed to walk home alone. After her first tantrum (Mrs Yaoyorozu had no tolerance for screaming children) she was granted the request, on the condition that the little girl come straight home. On that very same first day, Momo had tripped and got mud stained all over her dress. That alone was enough for her mother to accuse her of wandering off to the riverside and no matter how many tears she shed, never once was Momo allowed home alone after that.

The first time this changed was after her admission into U.A. high.

All those failed attempts at trickery had taught her to learn how to tell half-truths instead of lies. Even then it wouldn't always work. So Momo had resigned herself to just being particularly quiet and exceptionally perfect. Being perfect meant no need for lies, and no need for scrutiny.

"Just, give him a chance to explain," the young heroine said passively, not sure if her mother would listen, and added as an afterthought, "And let me know what happens."

But her mother didn't seem to have heard anything, engrossed in staring at the wall. Momo began walking away, sparing a final glance at her mother from the doorway, before walking to her room.

* * *

Needless to say, Momo was distracted.

Her parents were all she could think about.

Mrs Yaoyorozu had never gotten back to her last night. Not that Momo had been too surprised. Her mother wasn't the type who involved her children in anything; independent and strong to a fault. And Momo hadn't heard her father come in either, although that probably meant he'd gone straight to his office.

She had stayed awake that night, staring unseeingly at the ceiling's flickering shadows as the curtains fluttered in a gentle trickle of air, an endless stream of memories gushing through her brain. Thoughts whirled around her mind, grinding against her skull, loudly and roughly, and she only realized how straining they had truly been when she woke up the next morning, after a restless two hours of sleep, with a pounding headache.

The following school day crawled by at a snails pace. Momo felt herself deteriorate as time passed; she'd read the same line over and over again in her textbook, she barely put up a fight in the exercise class, and didn't raise her hand to answer any questions asked in lessons. Instead she spent the hours staring out the window, ignoring the world entirely. Her head just wasn't in the game. She'd speak only when spoken to, and even then with just curt, direct answers, nothing more. Iida came up during third period, reminding her about a student council meeting next week for the upcoming end of term tests, and the thought of having to focus on studies overwhelmed her. She had to take the following math class off and go to the nurse as her headache reached crushing levels.

Momo spent that lunch break alone on the roof.

In the end, she decided to just go home and skip her afternoon training session. With the day she'd had, getting any proper training done was out of the question. Just thinking about hurling herself around the room made her nauseous and quite honestly, this frustrated her.

Why was she having to suffer for something her parents started? She was losing valuable opportunities.

It was time to rip this toxic weed from the source, roots and all.

She decided to just sit in the kitchen and wait for her mother to come home, all day if she had to; the creation heroine would be getting her answers. And though the wait would be long, Momo decided she could use it to catch up on the extra course she'd been putting off, to help alleviate the burden of exams (there was only slightly less than a month left, after all). Feeling alert for the first time that day, with a goal clear, she nodded resolutely to herself.

As the final bell rang, signaling home time, her eyes scanned over the classroom, in search of the trademark shock of red and white hair. But Todoroki, it seemed, had already left for the training rooms. She debated for a while whether or not to let him know she wouldn't be joining him this afternoon, but then she decided against it.

It was just one day, and Yaoyorozu doubted he'd notice anyway.

* * *

It had been two hours.

Two hours she'd have usually spent productively in school. Two hours in which Momo had barely made any progress in her work. The vice president had managed to finish her homework, but the extra studying, now piled up in quite daunting amounts, she'd hardly done at all.

The clock ticked on, each click like a small whack to her temporal lobe.

Her mother usually came home at 6-7pm. It was currently 5:30. Todoroki would have locked up by now, after what must have been another productive workout. And knowing her luck, the half-n-half prodigy had probably made astonishing progress today, a breakthrough of breakthroughs, a revelation, since of course, the one day she missed out on something, everyone but her ended up moving further ahead.

And knowing him, he probably hadn't thought twice about her not being there. Yaoyorozu sighed in irritation, her crossed leg dangling in the air, leaning back into her seat. Her thoughts were suddenly swarmed with cursing the half and half hero and his prodigy-ness, for reasons she didn't care to think about nor have the mental strength to delve into.

The door swung open and Momo was instantly wrenched back into reality, watching as their housemaid came for her final stop in the kitchen. The middle-aged woman ended her shift by cooking dinner and leaving a portion for her father in his lab.

Rose-Marie came in every day, usually leaving as her mother came home, just doing light housework. They had a full-time staff as well, of course, but Rosie had been working for the Yaoyorozus before their breakout into riches, and hence, they kept calling her over, because the poor lady needed it and because they appreciated her work.

Momo stared discreetly at the unsuspecting lady's back.

Not really the most attractive of women, and being a bit on the chubby side; her mother was far more physically fit. But then again, you could never tell with men. After a certain age, they stopped being so picky-

'Stop it.' Momo cursed herself. And then cursed her parents again for making her think such…such incredibly inappropriate, degrading thoughts. She sighed, resting her forehead on her hand, realizing she was cursing a hell of a lot of people that day.

The vice president of 1A hunched back over her books, trying to refocus, but her eyes wouldn't obey. As a hero, they were taught to never rule out any possibility, because anything could happen, for any reason. So if her father was indeed having an...an affair, and that too, with the maid... To think her father would drag their name through the mud that way was something that made her gut clench and her blood burn white-hot.

Momo jerked with a start as her pencil nib snapped off from being pressed with such intensity. Her dark eyes flitted back up to the oblivious woman, who had begun humming some foreign tune to herself as she cooked.

"Rosie," she called out over the sizzling of the fryer. "You have kids right?"

"Yes. Twins, Momo-sama."

"So where are they, while you're here? Who takes care of them, I mean?"

At this, Rose-Marie turned. "My husband," she chirped and gave her a beaming smile. Momo returned the gesture, albeit a bit weakly, not that the older woman saw, turning back to the stir-fry. Momo felt her gut clench in an entirely different way - with guilt. That wasn't the smile of someone who'd have an affair. That grin spoke of joy and happiness, in a way that someone knowing they were in the wrong simply couldn't achieve. In a way only someone who was fully happy with life could manage.

How awful these doubts were. How awful this suspicion was.

Surprisingly, the woman continued, ignorant to the inner turmoil that were Momo's thoughts. "Yesterday was payday, so they all came to pick me up, and we had dinner out. It was their birthday last week, you see."

And the forces above had given the lady an alibi.

The young heroine couldn't help the spread of relief bubbling within the coils of her heart, her gut unclenching for the first time as the relief washed in. "Oh, you should have told me! Hang on, I want to give them something as well."

As she hurried over to her room, gears changed and her mental mechanics whirred again at full throttle, mind moving a mile a minute. So it wasn't the maid, thankfully. That, however, opened up the rest of the world for suspects. A large problem would be solved if they could find out where her father had gone the previous night. Of course, her mother was the expert detective so-

Momo froze, her hands clamped around the packet of muffins she had grabbed from her bedside cabinet. Her mother. Her mother hadn't yet told her a thing. She didn't even know if this was an affair they were dealing with in the first place and yet already the young heroine had begun drawing up a list. The plastic crinkled loudly as her grip tightened.

When Momo returned to the kitchen, it was to see Mrs Yaoyorozu had come home. Rose-Marie had set the tray of dinner, a chinese chili stir-fry with garlic chicken, ready for Momo's father. But that wasn't what made Momo hesitate; it was the mood.

Her mother was wearing that look, the one of broiling intensity, which no one could ever look dead in the eye. Her eyes were so precisely narrowed that someone who didn't know her on a basal level might mistake for kindness. But the effect was ruined with the harsh frown she always wore with it, and that alone was enough to confuse anyone. Her eyes flashed at intervals, so quickly that, again, the average onlooker would assume it was just their imagination.

It was Satomi Yaoyorozu's quirk in motion.

Every now and then, her mother would direct Rosie a question, which the woman answered with an awkward, rather reluctant smile, her eyes darting from Mrs Yaoyorozu to her dress, smoothing her hands down and then up again. It was then that Rosie's eyes spotted Momo standing stiffly in the doorway.

"Ahh, Momo-sama! Your mother just came home." The spell was broken. The housemaid quickly turned back to the tray, picking it up as Mrs Yaoyorozu folded her arms, her regular, bland look back in place.

"Rosie, let me know if my husband is in the lab before leaving please. Do not disturb him, just come back and tell me."

"Yes Ma'am." Mrs Yaoyorozu watched as the maid left, more hurriedly than usual, towards the back door leading to the lab.

"Rosie was with her family last night," Momo said, her grip tight, knowing what her mother was thinking.

"Yes, I'm aware." Her mother was still staring at the back door. Momo leaned against the counter, silence dropping around them, both waiting for the other woman to come back. "What is that?"

Momo jumped at the sudden question. "H-hu- Oh." she leaned against the counter top, staring at the snacks in her hands. "I want to give these to Rosie."

"That is unnecessary."

"What?" the younger teen said. "I want to. It was her kids' birthdays last week, and I thought it would show respect-"

"Respect?" Her mother interrupted, with a sharpness Momo hadn't had directed at her for years. "What exactly hooked you; her ability to wipe tables?"

"She's still a person, Mother." Momo snapped back. Her mother's tone was something that would have intimidated her before, but she was older now. "It's a gesture I would make for anyone else, so I'm doing the same for her."

"There is an infallible barrier between employer and employee. It has been there for as long as humanity has existed, and is not about to fall with your petty idealism."

Momo didn't bother replying, biting her tongue, choosing instead to glare at her mother's back. A heavy, cold silence fell over the two Yaoyorozu women. Her mother was going through a lot, that much she knew, but she was tired of being understanding. Just once she'd like her mother to actually _be_ a mother and show empathy herself. It was petty of her to be taking her frustration out on others.

Finally, after what felt like half an hour, the maid re-entered.

"He's there, Mrs Yaoyorozu."

"Thank you, Rosie." As said woman went to go get her coat and bag, the lawyer continued. "I heard it was your children's birthday."

Rose-Marie smiled, ever cheerful. "Yes Ma'am."

"How old are they now?"

"Five, Ma'am."

"How wonderful. I believe Momo has something she wishes to give to them."

Momo didn't move for a moment, her body solid in shock. Her mother was unbelievable. The speed at which she had changed tune was disturbing. Not just that, but no one would ever tell just moments ago how insensitive her mother was being. Momo remained silent long enough for her mother to shoot her a piercing look, and with a mental growl, the creation specialist handed over the small gift. Rosie thanked the young heroine, smiling softly, and Momo couldn't help reciprocate.

"Wishes to them from my side as well, Rosie," Mrs Yaoyorozu's voice chimed. "Take care."

The Yaoyorozu women silently watched as she left. The soft click of the door latching shut seemed to break the spell, and Momo slowly returned to her seat, waiting for her mother to say something. But she didn't, instead opening the fridge and taking out some juice for herself, as well as putting on a cup of coffee to brew.

"Mother." Yaoyorozu couldn't hold back any longer, forgetting the entire dispute over Rosie. Such things didn't get discussed in their household. Everyone's points were made clear, in the most persuasive way possible, and if no concensus was reached, it was never brought up again. In any case, the teen had far more pressing issues to discuss at the moment. "What happened last night, if you'd please."

At her daughter's voice, the older woman's head turned. She didn't reply immediately, gaze unfocused, taking a sip of juice. "I spoke with your father yesterday," she said eventually. Momo stared at her expectantly.

"He is indeed having an affair."

The room dropped several degrees just then, she was certain. Momo's gut plummeted uncomfortably and her heart jumped to her throat. All around her, the room spun, a blur of dark, subtle colors, and if she wasn't leaning so heavily on the counter, she would have fallen over. Her blood ran cold and she felt sick. "He told you that?" she breathed out, so softly she wasn't sure if her mother heard her.

"No. He denied it quite heftily." The older Yaoyorozu drained the glass and placed it in the sink. Then, for the first time since her mother had come home, she met Momo's gaze. "But I'm certain he was lying."

And when her mother said someone was lying, they were lying.

* * *

"You weren't in the training rooms yesterday."

Momo looked up from her book. It was the next morning. She was in her seat, and it was still before U.A.'s first bell.

Todoroki was stood, looming over her, standing between their desks, his gaze like a stormy sea; a petulant, cloudy grey with a tumultuous, deep blue. The muscles of his jaw kept bulging, like he was biting his tongue, holding back on some sort of torrent of words, possibly because he knew they would last too long for his regular speaking-only-when-necessary quota.

She looked away, not able to handle the half-n-half hero's intensity just then. "Yeah."

A pause.

"Iida says there wasn't a student council meeting either."

"There wasn't."

Silence.

"You appear to be healthy enough."

Again no response.

"Although you look awful."

A vessel throbbed visibly at her temple.

"And you're clearly not dead either-"

Momo slammed her book shut. "I went straight home yesterday, Todoroki," she said rather snappishly, crossing her arms tightly, refusing to look at him. It was a tone she had never used with him, and it increased her already pulsating headache to a steady throb. Just then, it didn't occur to her that he was asking where she was because he had noticed she wasn't there - something she had been agonizing about for quite a while the previous afternoon.

But just then, Momo was not in the mood to talk to anyone.

Especially not a fickle, fiery tempered pre-hero whose patience had clearly been worn thin.

Todoroki's stare had turned piercing, and a sudden onslaught of anger burst through his pores, making her skin crawl. Ah, so it was rage he'd been holding back.

The girl turned her chin the other way and she heard rather than saw him throw his bag roughly on his desk, scraping his chair as loudly as he could against the floor (his attempt at petty spite, she assumed), pulling it out from under the table and heavily collapsed onto it.

'What an absolute child', Momo thought to herself with a scoff, simmering as well, his anger contagious. Her eyes were trained forward, barely noticing as the rest of the class milled about, waiting for homeroom to begin. Unseeingly, she watched as Bakugo rocked back and forth in his seat, mud-coated boots perched on the table top. Without hearing anything, she watched as Iida came up and began lecturing the sandy blonde about the etiquette of sitting. Her finger traced the rim of her book absently. Her every sense was fine tuned on the boy to her right, waiting for anything from him to dissect, interpret and hyper-analyze.

This was so unfair. He was being so unfair. None of this was her choice, and yet he was making her feel bad, like she had done wrong against him, like his bad mood was all her fault. As if everything he was feeling just then could have been prevented if she had only been considerate.

Her neighbor's moody aura spilled over her in waves and she internally huffed. Why was this boy so high maintenance?

They sat like that, in heavy, undulating silence for a while; him leaning back heavily in his seat, arms folded sternly, radiating 'Do Not Disturb' in all directions. Momo sat rigid, back straight, flipping idly through her book's pages, the picture of poise, betraying none of her inner turmoil and yet her eyes remained unmoving.

It was then that Aizawa came in and homeroom finally began.

Slowly, as her teacher's monotonous voice droned on about how 'he had been told to tell them this was still a school and just because they were becoming heroes didn't mean they should stop studying and let their brains rot', her anger started to subside. As the deep, baritones wafted through her brain unprocessed, like hypnosis, the harsh frustration left and the guilt started to kick in.

She imagined Todoroki, at 5pm yesterday, waiting for her and not knowing where she was, if she was coming back or not…he may have even waited there, by the doors, thinking she'd gone to the library. And obviously he couldn't go looking around the school for her either. She'd probably be just as mad if he'd done that to her. In fact, she'd have definitely been mad. And letting him know wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes. Minutes she'd spent in grueling agony waiting for her mother to come home anyway.

The young heroine sighed.

When Aizawa finally stopped speaking ('So please at least try and score decently on the upcoming tests. Let the other teachers know I'm not running a zoo of gorillas'), and the class erupted into chatter waiting for the first class bell to ring, Momo swallowed her pride and turned to address the still-glowering teen next to her.

"I suppose…" she began. "Next time I'll let you know. Before leaving." Her voice was formal and clipped, but it was the best she could manage just then. She studied him out of the corner of her eye. Todoroki didn't say anything, eyes remaining closed, but the repellent aura had faded away, and she thought maybe his eyebrows weren't so harshly knit anymore, but he remained largely motionless. Seconds ticked by, and yet he remained silent.

Momo sighed. She probably deserved it anyway, and decided to just let it go. It was the best she could offer in her current state.

But just when she'd given up on him replying, he spoke. "That'd be helpful." He said rather gruffly. He wasn't smiling or looking at her, but his eyebrows had relaxed and the lines at the corners of his mouth had disappeared, and she decided that was the best he could do as well.

The young pre-hero managed a small smile at that. Good to know that even though it felt like someone had picked up the snow globe that was her life and dropped it after shaking it roughly, some things hadn't changed.

* * *

"Oy Jiro."

The girl in question turned, and her previously blasé expression was wiped clean.

Kyoka blinked in surprise as she saw the ice specialist looking at her in the hallway. She looked to her left and right, certain she'd see someone else conveniently standing behind her also called Jiro, because surely the ice king himself wouldn't want to talk to _her_. But the hallway was empty (which was surprising, considering Mina had been right next to her. That little deserter). The short girl turned fully, meeting his gaze full on.

She pointed at herself, as if confirming it was her he was talking to.

Todoroki nodded, crossing his arms, his eyes leveled, seemingly annoyed that this had already taken as long as it had. She made her way over to him, still dazed.

"I need you to fix Yaoyorozu." He said before she could get a word out.

She blinked. "Come again?"

"Yaoyorozu," he repeated. "Something's not right with her…" he drifted off here. Kyoka observed him as he stared off to the side. Now this was quite the development.

As far as she knew, him and Momo weren't especially close. In fact, their only solid interaction had probably been somewhere during the sports tournament. Although there had been that time with her broken nose. Not to mention how Kaminari claimed both elites were now sharing the training rooms after school. And then there were those pictures...

Scratch that, something was definitely going on between the two of them.

The earplug heroine smirked. This was getting interesting. Suddenly realizing she'd been quiet for quite a while, Kyoka looked up only to see his expression had turned livid in impatience.

"Oh?" was her airy reply, as if she was none the wiser. She had obviously realized something was off with Momo yesterday. It was practically stamped across her forehead in giant neon letters. Not once had the creation specialist smiled, or tried starting a conversation or intervened in their daily scuffle (Bakugo had once again picked yet another fight with Deku and yet, only Iida had arrived to the scene).

But for Todoroki, infamous lone wolf, to have noticed at all, and then bother so much as to come to call her out…

Definitely interesting.

"She's been exuding depression all day," he elaborated, slowly, trying to find the words to explain himself. "It's starting to drain my energy as well." Jiro held in a snort of laughter. Mismatched eyes snapped to hers, as if sensing her mental scoff. Needless to say, all nonsense was instantly wiped from her face, and she was at full attention.

"Well, why don't you try talking to her?" the small girl asked.

"I did."

That honestly surprised her. He had unfolded his hands only to stuff them into his pockets, staring off into the distance which lay beyond the hallway windows. It irked Kyoka to no end how she was unable to read his expression. In comparison to someone like Kaminari, who was as pathetically decipherable as an open book, Todoroki was an entirely different species.

For one, it made planning her course of action quite difficult. And if there was one thing Kyoka loved, it was being in control. Well, there was nothing more exposing than a person while flustered.

"Ahh," Kyoka sang. "You did something."

His eyes snapped back to onto the small, black-haired girl. "No, I didn't." His eyes swam with something she realized with a start were emotions. Irritation. The young prodigy's gaze was piercing, and it suddenly dawned on her how much taller he was than her. It made her uncomfortable.

Jiro decided she hated being around him.

"Or at least, I don't think I did." And then he looked away again. For a moment, Kyoka stared, transfixed by the blatant display screening across his irises. There were so many feelings, so suddenly, that she didn't have the chance to recognize even one before Todoroki switched it off. When he turned back to look at her, his eyes were blank yet again.

"Just fix it."

And with that resonating command, he walked away, leaving Jiro still mulling through what had just happened.

* * *

"Yo, Momo." The vice president looked up from her lunch, watching as Jiro grabbed a seat, sliding it up to her desk. "So I know you've been giving off vibes to leave you alone, and I've been respecting that. But I just wanted to clarify; I'm here for you, a'ight?"

Momo gave her friend a look. "...Thanks."

The sound expert leaned forward. "And guess who else was worried." The taller girl offered a mild half-glance, as if she was only paying attention because she had nothing better to do, popping a bite of lunch into her mouth. "Shoto Todoroki."

Momo swallowed. "Oh?" she said, shooting her friend a leveled look, eyebrows drawn together and mouth pulled in a frown.

"I know right!"

"What makes you say that? Have you been speaking to Kaminari again?"

"Hey, I resent that!" the short-haired girl straightened up. "I come up with my gossip through actual fact! Mr Frosty came up to me himself and asked me to help you."

Instead of blushing or squealing or having any sort of normal reaction, Momo instead hunched over, frown intensifying. "He's still angry," she muttered, and scooped some more rice into her mouth.

"Dude," Jiro couldn't believe this. "I said 'worried' not 'angry.'"

"I highly doubt he said anything of the sort." Momo said aimlessly.

Jiro paused at this. It was true that the ice user hadn't specifically said the words 'I'm worried' but that was beside the point. "Well, just trust me, I know worried from pissed. And what do you mean 'still'?"

The creation specialist shot a highly nonplussed expression in Kyoka's direction, indicating that she'd greatly appreciate a topic change. But Kyoka simply stared at her expectantly, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Yaoyorozu relented. It was their thing, ranting about school and their peers. Of course, this meant that whatever Momo wasn't talking about was probably personal and family related. It also meant that telling Kyoka all about whatever had happened between Todoroki was fair game.

And sure enough, with a sigh Kyoka knew was more frustrated than what she felt, Momo put her box down. "He's upset because I didn't tell him I wasn't coming to the training rooms yesterday. He must have waited five extra minutes at the most." She was mumbling, something Kyoka had learned meant she didn't fully believe what she was saying. Momo glanced at the unoccupied seat next to them. "He needs to get over it."

"Oh, finally I hear about your after school shinanigans from the horse itself!" The creation specialist shot her a look at the less-than-flattering description. "Do you know how frustrating it is having Kaminari and Kirishima go on about how the bro-code is faultless, and how I might as well accept it, since I'd never get anything out of you, because girls were too occupied deciding who would go with who to the bathroom." Momo gave her friend an incredulous look. "I know. Don't worry, I made sure the only thing either of them heard for the next two hours was a dull ringing."

"I didn't know my training was some sort of huge secret I was keeping," Momo said. "The only time I see Todoroki is when he kicks me out to lock up."

"That's not what the rest of the class thinks," Jiro said matter-of-factly, finally opening up her lunch as well.

"And what, pray-tell, does the class think?"

Kyoka took that as her cue to smirk. "That you two are hooking up."

For the first time, what would be considered a normal reaction flickered across the creation heroine's face. Her eyes widened, mouth parted ever so slightly, and then she looked down to stare, hard, at her half-finished lunch. She swallowed, and a delicate touch of color dusted her cheeks. After letting out a small breath, Momo closed her eyes.

"Everyone needs to focus on the more important things in life." She readied herself another bite with her chopsticks. "For instance, studying for the upcoming midterms."

"Oy, I have my life fully in order, thank you very much. It's just nice having a distraction from it sometimes. Besides, seeing our two rigid elites crushing on each other is-"

Momo shot her a tight-eyed glare at this. "That's _not_ what this is." Jiro opened her mouth, but the black-haired girl cut her across. "I'm serious Kyoka. I'm not in the mood for baseless rumors right now."

The short hair girl dragged her chair closer and leaned over. "Baseless, eh? I wouldn't call these baseless." She pulled out her phone and held up a picture. "Taking a leisurely trip downtown doesn't quite count as baseless does it?"

Momo snatched the phone out of her hand. It was a picture of her and Todoroki in the bus, her looking spaced out, while he was bent over, probably in the midst of signing something, so you couldn't see his face, although the signature hair erased any doubt.

"Where in the world did you get these?" she breathed.

"U.A. was tagged, as well as you two, so it automatically came up on my feed. Probably everyone else's as well." Jiro leaned back, arm draped lazily over the back rest, satisfied her detective work was having the right effect. "Scroll right, there's more."

There were, indeed, more pictures, from different angles, and even a video of her telling off that one irritating kid. Momo groaned, her head falling into her hands. "This is not what I need right now."

Jiro plucked her phone back from the vice president's limp hand. "Yeah well, forgive me if I don't sympathize all too much. I mean, last time I checked, we were on the same side, but then I learn from public trending topics that my closest U.A. bud is hanging out with Mr Hands-Off, and I know nothing. So I have no choice but to put a bunch of two's together."

"Kyoka-"

"I want to be on your side, Momo. But you have to let me be."

Momo sighed. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to keep you out of the loop, believe me. I just forgot about it completely."

Jiro laughed at this. "Harsh. Poor Snow-King."

"A lot happened right after that," Momo said, indicating the pictures. "So it was kind of...pushed to the back, I suppose."

"Yeah, I can tell. So what's been bothering you, if not Todoroki? I'm all ears."

Momo gave a long, close-mouthed sigh. She began aimlessly playing with the food in her bowl, pushing the grains from one side to the other, lost in thought. "Thanks Kyouka," she finally managed. "It's just family stuff." Kyoka smiled slightly at being brushed aside. But it was expected. At the very least, she was glad she'd been able to read correctly assume it had been private issues keeping her friend silent. "I'm not mad so much as I am distracted. I'm sure I'll be fine soon."

"Family stuff can be rough," Kyoka said, taking her first bite. "I remember you mentioning your mom being seriously anal."

Momo let out a breath of laughter at that. "That's a way to put it I suppose." Her eyes acquired a distant, hollow look. "Although this time, it may not be her fault..."

She looked up to see Jiro looking at her, with an honest expression, all traces of teasing and jokes gone. It was a face that reflected an honest determination to listen and help. Right then, at that moment, Momo realized just how good of a friend she had, and an honest, pure smile graced her lips for the first time in days.

"I'd tell you Kyoka, I would, but I'm not too sure myself what's going on." She reached over and squeezed her friend's hand, hoping her sincerity would follow through. "Once I do, I'll be dumping it all on you, so prepare yourself."

"Surprise attacks are what heroes need to be ready for, so don't you ever worry about the time or place." Jiro pulled out her hand and fisted it. "Kyoka Jiro is always ready for anything, especially for Momo Yaoyorozu-san." It took a few seconds where Kyoka had to give her several large hints and shake her fist a few times. But finally, Momo made a fist of her own and bumped it against her friend's, sharing a giggle.

They both resumed their lunch after that, and soon, the genuine smile began to simmer down as Momo imagined what exactly that conversation would entail. Would she be crying when she eventually talked to Jiro about this? Would her family be in shambles? Would some bloodthirsty reporter find out before they did? The squeeze over her heart was back, stronger than ever, and for a while, she wondered if she should just tell Kyoka everything right there, in the middle of a classroom full of gossip-hungry teens.

"So, Todoroki..." Kyoka's voice unknowingly cut through Momo's inner panic. "Do you like him?"

Momo had to swallow extra hard as her esophageal muscles froze up. "No!" she said loudly, after recovering from a bout of coughs. A few of the kids in class turned to shoot the two girls curious looks and both girls waved their glances away, Momo apologetically and Kyoka with a harsh glare, before the former turned back to her friend and gave a much quieter, but much more viscious, "No."

Jiro gave her a narrowed, suspicious look.

"Oh my gosh, no Jiro! He's just a friend."

The calculating look continued. "Really? Because I swear, if I find out from someone else, or better yet online that you two have kissed or something-"

"Oh for crying out loud!" she said exasperatedly. "Does he honestly seem romantically available to you?"

Jiro shrugged. "I didn't think he was even able to hold a conversation. But you've opened up all sorts of doors, Momo."

Momo sighed. "I promise that if we ever make out, you'll be the first to know," she said, voice laden with sarcasm. The other girl leaned back, satisfied.

"Good enough for me."

Momo paused, a completely new problem coming to light. "You don't think this is why he's angry?"

"What, you guys kissing?"

She shot Jiro a pointed look. "The pictures."

Jiro scoffed. "If that's the reason, then he's a pussy."

Almost instantly, with freakish timing, Mineta (who had previously been on the opposite side of the room chatting it up with Aoyama, Oojiro and Toru) materialized out of thin air. "Did someone say pus-" Jiro sent him flying with a kick to his face.

"Freakshow," she muttered. The taller girl huffed and closed her eyes, taking another bite as response. Well, any possibility of bringing up her parents just then was thrown out the window. But perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. Such a private matter wasn't something she was really comfortable talking about, even if it was with Kyoka. Especially when it wasn't just the two of them.

"Oh, is Momo talking again?" a lively, pink moth-girl had appeared, drawing up a chair as well and seating herself down. "Finally!"

"Where did you go after second period?" Kyoka wasted no time interrogating Ashido, as if she'd been waiting on the furry girl's arrival the entire time. "I had to go through a seriously intense conversation thanks to your abandoning me."

Mina scoffed. "That's exactly why I high-tailed it out of there. That guy gives me the chills."

Jiro gave her an unimpressed look. "Pun?"

"No! Aw man, I hadn't even noticed! Such a waste."

Momo watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow. "Are you talking about Todoroki?"

The bubbly pre-hero offered her an apologetic grin, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, sorry Momo! No offense."

Just as the taller girl opened her mouth to retort, Jiro cut across. "Nah, apparently, she doesn't give two shits."

Momo sighed, just glad Kyoka was taking her side for once and resignedly joined the intense conversation about boys and how the modern generation lacked any foresight.

And for remainder of lunch, she forgot about her family entirely.

* * *

It was early that afternoon when Momo found herself at the front doors of the training rooms. The bell had just rung, and she hadn't changed into her gym clothes, choosing instead to just walk straight there. The school grounds were still noisy as kids hung around the main entryway, stalling to go home for those five extra minutes with their friends. The sun still hung bright, its rays now feeling quite intense, the telltale sign of the start of summer. And yet Momo didn't feel any of it, lost in thought.

She hadn't spoken to Todoroki since that morning. While that was nothing unusual, Momo felt especially nervous seeking him out, still feeling as if the air hadn't quite been cleared between them. He had accepted her (kind of) apology rather quickly. Regardless, as she had promised, her intention had been to catch Todoroki and let him know she'd be going home that day.

But now, standing there, she was thinking of maybe staying. It wasn't like she had anything to go home to; her mother had basically confirmed her fears yesterday (her stomach gave an angry jolt at the memory). It might even be therapeutic to pound out the resentment. Besides, she'd already taken a day off. And they did say the first day of a schedule broken is the start of the end.

However, when she tried the doors, they ended up locked. Odd.

"Yaoyorozu."

She turned at the mention of her name to see the very object of her thoughts walking towards her. To her mild surprise, Todoroki was also still in uniform.

""There you are.""

They blinked as they both spoke simultaneously. Todoroki gave a sharp exhale she assumed was a laugh through his nose and she allowed a smile to dawn her lips. The young heroine watched warily as he approached, feeling a weird jumble of nerves quiver in her abdomen, realizing she hadn't the slightest clue of what to say to him.

"This is getting tedious, Yaoyorozu," he said, walking the final steps between them. "Give me your number."

"Huh?" she blinked, rapidly. Had she heard correctly? But his gaze was steady and unblinking.

"Your number," he repeated slowly, nonplussed. "You have a phone, I assume? I could've been spared the last 15 minutes of walking over the school looking for you."

'Oh.' She thought, the idea of Todoroki bothering to seek her out not at all processing, and now added with him wanting her number succeeded in stopping the workings of her brain entirely.

As if sensing this, the boy held out his hand. "I'll do it, just hand me your phone." The assertive tone he took was almost calming and without a second thought, Momo pulled up her contact info on her screen and handed her phone to him, more than happy to have someone else do the thinking for a change.

"Wait," she finally said as her brain decided to catch up to reality. "Why were you looking for me? You didn't have to bother, I told you I'd let you know. I was going home again today, but…" she turned to look back at the training rooms. "I'm not sure anymore…"

Todoroki took a few seconds before he said anything as he copied down her information. "I added my details into your phone myself." He said, handing back her cell. She huffed. Presumptuous as always. "And no training today. I want to take you somewhere."

He began walking away, with the airs of someone who knew everything was right in the world; serenely, as if he hadn't just thrown her yet another curve ball. Momo recovered faster this time, though it still took a few moments to get over her surprise, and dimly wondered if someone had fried his brain overnight.

She rushed up to join him, a stream of questions pouring out of her mouth. "Wait, what? Where? You just randomly decided that? Why?"

He breathed deeply, looking up towards the sky as he did. "You took me somewhere that was special to you. I want to repay that favor."

That floored her.

Momo was speechless. Todoroki was an anomaly, an impromtu irregularity in a life that had previously made sense, from a life that had been calculated and thorough, whether that be the number of steps she walked to and from school to the number of pages she read a day. He boggled her mind, he messed with her stride, he effectively took anything she ever planned and crushed it without a second thought. The last she knew, he had been beyond angry at her. And if she knew anything about Todoroki, it was that he didn't really lose his temper, he just shoved it aside indifferently and carried on his way.

She blinked.

Wait, that was exactly what he was doing. There was no grudge, no residual animosity or frustration. He had approached her like it was any other day. She had spent so long worrying how she would fix things with him, adding on top of her already extensive cacophony of concerns, trying sorting out her thoughts, feeling like the world was collapsing. And yet, there he was, resident frozen prince with the personality to match, being... nice.

It was as if nothing had happened. It threw her off balance. She felt her throat clench uncomfortably.

It made her want to cry.

There were so many things Momo wanted to say to him just then, but words eluded her and she didn't know quite how to express the myriad of feelings she had swirling inside. She wanted to be left alone, and yet she wanted someone to talk to. She wanted to run away and let her world fall apart, and yet she wanted to stand and fix everything with her own two hands. She wanted to be with anyone but him, and yet being with him made her...calm. Such an extensive plethora of contradictions welled inside her and she was sure she would self-implode.

So she remained silent, hands gripping her bag strap, so tight her knuckles grew white.

The pair walked along in silence, him staring at the sky, expression of relaxed nothingness, eyes clear and gentle and open. And next to him, Momo, completely oblivious to such a rarity, staring intensely at the floor, a infinite loop of emotions clouding her eyes. The two recommendation students entered the throng leaving the school and the dense silence between them filled with the abrasive chatter of young teenagers.

It was after they left the campus, separating from the crowd and walking further away, that the silence crept back in like a shadowy cloud. It eclipsed over Momo's thoughts, and it rang louder and louder, buzzing at her brain incessantly and she felt watery pressure build behind her eyes.

'Momo, you have to speak.' She begged herself, biting her lip so hard she was scared it would split, the silence tightening its grip around her chest. 'You must. Is this how you repay kindness? He'll regret it! He'll ignore you, he'll hate you! He'll-'

"Yaoyorozu. Breathe."

His voice shot through her thoughts like a ball breaking glass.

Momo straightened on impulse and, before she could stop herself, stared at him. He returned her look with had an unmoving, blue eye, and suddenly, all she could think was about how beautiful a color it truly was. He continued, as if reading her thoughts. "I don't care if you aren't continuously blathering about something. Turn off your brain for once.

"Breathe."

And just like that, the pressure vanished.

* * *

"Here it is."

They had been walking for almost 15 minutes, in a gentle silence. It was surprisingly comfortable, once she'd stopped analyzing what he was thinking. He'd taken charge of conversation, surprising her yet again, passing a comment or two about a store he found useful in neighboring streets or a pedestrian with a rather flamboyant choice of hair color – not that he was one to speak, she'd pointed out, which had earned her an unamused glare.

Him starting the discussions for once, and telling her he didn't mind the odd silence, had calmed her in a way she didn't realize she'd needed. Without realizing, Momo had begun to think Todoroki only tolerated her presence because of her endless streams of facts. Him making the effort to converse, when he usually stayed quiet, meant more to her than he probably knew. It meant that, on some level, he wanted to keep her around just as much as she did him.

It hit the young creation user how warm a conversation could be, even without incessant speech. All that was fine sometimes, and came easy to her, but on occasion, just slowing down and appreciating the bigger picture with another person could prove to be just as satisfying.

And that was something that blew her mind.

Momo looked up to read the board. 'Playtime Rentals', it said. Confused, but curious as to what this place was (the place Shoto Todoroki had recommended), she followed his lead as he pushed open the door, a quaint little bell jingling to alert the owners of their entrance.

"Ah, Todoroki-kun, it's been a while."

The Yaoyorozu heiress turned to see a rather pretty girl greeting him behind a counter, whom he acknowledged with a nod. She was flashing him a wide smile, almost too wide, and her gaze lingered just a few seconds too long. But she was pretty. So pretty that her slightly strange actions could be overlooked. So pretty, in fact, that everything that had happened in the span of two minutes condensed together in her brain into three words; playtime, pretty girl, rentals.

Why would he bring her to a cabaret club? Had he no shame? Not that she minded (but she did) how he spent his free time, but how Todoroki thought watching girls serve him tea would pay back any sort of favors he thought he owed her was beyond her.

"Yaoyorozu, back here."

At his voice, her head snapped from looking at a corridor full of doors to him. Her classmate had his hand on a doorknob and was halfway through it, pausing as he waited for her to follow. Momo felt her mouth go dry. Did he want her to go in with him, alone? Just the two of them? And yet, despite her better judgement, her legs moved, and she followed him in.

And then blinked.

They were in what appeared to be a storage room, with shelves and a slightly messy pile of boxes in a corner and even more shelves. But what surprised her most about the room was that said shelves were lined with cages upon cages of animals; cats and dogs, of all sizes, making gentle noises, rubbing against the bars, or playing with a roommate.

Momo walked in reserved awe up to a random cage, and crouched down, finding herself face to face with a tiny black pug. It immediately nuzzled itself into the bars as if to get out and play with her. She smiled and reached her hand over to pet it, but it immediately backed away. Momo stuffed her hand through the bars into the cage, trying to beckon it over, when suddenly, it pounced and began nibbling on her hand.

"Hey!" she cried, the pain mostly due to surprise and limited to a dull clamping sensation, and she reached in her other hand to give the puppy a rough noogie. It backed up again, its head rocking back and forth, staring between each hand not knowing which new toy to attack.

"That one's still teething," she heard Todoroki say. Momo watched as he pulled out a set of keys, and dangled the leather key chain to the little puppy instead. It instantly grabbed it, and began shaking it back and forth so hard its little head became a black blur. The neighboring cages started getting rowdy, clearly wanting themselves a loud, shiny toy as well.

"What is this place?" Momo breathed in utter curiosity.

"In essence, it's an animal shelter," he said. "They find stray animals, and then let people come in and choose one they think they'd like to adopt. They can adopt one straight away, or pay by the hour to spend time with the animal, and see if they're at all compatible."

"How in the world did you find this place?" she asked, amazed someone like him would ever think of spending any of his time here. She noticed he was intently avoiding her gaze, and it suddenly dawned on her just how personal this place was to him.

"My brother owns it," he explained.

"Ahh," That made more sense. "Wait, and your sister owns that calzone place. How many businesses does your family own?"

"Just the two."

'Just.' "So that girl by the counter is…?"

"She's just a part-timer. She started work back in December."

They both grew quiet after that, Momo not quite sure what to say next, instead content on mindlessly watching the little dog continue to growl and grapple with the keys.

"Todoroki?" she asked, a thought occurring to her.

"Hm?" He had busied himself with a kitten one cage down.

"…Are those Aizawa sensei's keys to the training room?"

He froze, the only thing still moving the end of his uniform tie as the kitten pawed it. They exchanged glances before both turning to look at the keys, which were rattling incessantly, slobber spraying every which way from the blur that was the pug. They were silent for a while.

"Maybe he won't notice." Todoroki said, the uncertainty giving his voice a certain innocence, and Momo couldn't help but burst into laughter. His lips twitched upwards despite himself.

"Um, excuse me, Todoroki-kun?" The pretty girl had come in. Momo felt her smile weaken. Why wasn't she surprised? "Can I speak to you for a second?" He looked at her expectantly, not moving.

"She means outside, genius," Momo said humorlessly. He blinked, eyes wide in realization.

"Oh."

He got up, and her eyes never left the little puppy. "Hey, can I open the cage?"

"Oh, please, don't do that." The girl appeared quite distressed at the suggestion. "The other animals get really agitated if you do."

"Oh, okay, sure, no problem. Sorry."

The girl didn't answer, and once Todoroki had left the room, the door clicked shut, leaving her alone with the animals. Momo sighed. She put her hand back into the cage. "Hey c'mon little guy, can I have the keys back?" she held her hand out expectantly, but all that led to was the puppy crouching over further, wagging its tail heftily, awaiting her next move.

She crouched low, lowering her head to its level, steadying her hand. Her and the dog stared each other down. And then she attacked, the puppy easily jumping over her outstretched hand, barking happily. "Oh come on!" she cried in frustration, trapping it in the corner and picking it up from under its belly, then swinging it around to grab the keys. That instigated a tug-of-war between her and the little canine hardly a foot long.

"You are...one…incredibly.. tenacious mutt…" she said. And then she had an idea.

She laughed to herself. "I am such an idiot. For goodness' sake." Her hand then began to glow, the telltale sign of her quirk, and the little puppy stood perfectly still for the first time since obtaining the keys. In fact, most of the animals had quietened down, as if hypnotized. She produced a small, simple, rubber toy, a bright, attractive blue, and held it up for the dog to see.

"Want this?"

It didn't need to be asked twice. Immediately, it dropped the keys and darted towards the little soft toy. Momo made it chase it for a little while, because nothing of value comes easy, before finally letting the puppy have it, and retrieved the keys as it was distractedly munching down on its newest prize.

"Oh, you got them back."

Perfect timing. Todoroki and the female manager had returned. Momo grinned in pride and jingled them for good measure.

"Can you try not to give them weird objects to chew on?" The girl directed her warning at Momo. "We don't know where they've been. They might get sick."

"I apologize," The half-n-half hero said, and Momo had to purse her lips in an attempt to stifle her snickers at the girl's contrite expression. Hadn't been expecting that little development, had she? Todoroki tentatively took the keys from Momo's hand, wincing at the slobber and tiny puncture holes. He turned back to the girl and spoke before she could say another word. "I'll be more careful."

"O-oh. Um..Yes, Thank you." Momo felt herself smirk as the girl tripped over her words. "W-well…please take your time." And she shut the door.

"Wooow, she really doesn't like me." Momo said.

"What makes you say that?" he said, wiping the keys on a random cloth lying around.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" she asked, dodging his question.

He pocketed the key-chain, deciding it was a lost cause. "She wanted to ask who you were. Not everyone is allowed back here, you know." Momo mentally rolling her eyes. For someone so smart, he really was clueless. She gave him a smug grin.

"Wha- no; in no way does this support your argument." He gave her a look.

"Of course it does. But just for that extra hammer on the nail, I predict she'll come in again soon. Probably within the next 5 minutes. Maybe sooner, depending on how much she's actually into you."

"…Hah?"

Before he had a chance to interrogate her further, the door opened and the subject of her wager entered again. Todoroki immediately turned to shoot Momo his Todoroki-patented look (eyes wide and piercing, mouth barely ajar) and she bit her lip, struggling to suppress her laughter. The girl could clearly feel the intense way both teens were studying her, and (to Momo's utter delight) she suddenly appeared self-conscious. "Erm, Todoroki-kun," the girl spoke up. "Can I bring you and your friend something to drink?"

Momo was quite impressed at how stable the receptionist was managing to keep her voice. Todoroki looked at her and she shook her head with a smile. "No thank you," she chirped, almost too happily. The girl nodded rather sullenly, and then left again.

"Ohhhh my gosh, she's got it bad." Momo said in a loud whisper.

Todoroki shot her a withering look, folding his arms. "Lucky guess. The real test is you predicting when she comes in next." He pointed out.

"Nah, she's not coming back."

"You're running away." He said.

"I am not. She won't, not after the warm welcome we gave her. But I bet we'll see her next when she's kicking us out. Probably 20-30 minutes later, when she can't tolerate you being alone in here with me any longer."

He scoffed. "You should become a story write with that imagination."

"Please. I could go on supporting myself, using points like how she refers to me as 'your friend', how she doesn't speak directly to me, unless she's scolding me. I could go into the finer details as well, but you deny the obvious signs, so I think it'd be pointless."

"That's because this _is_ pointless." He scratched a cat who was nestled up against the bars behind the ears. "And I'll have you know, she's two years older than me. Plus, if I remember correctly, my brother likes her. That's why she's working here."

Ignoring the slight twinge of irritation at him knowing any kind of detail about the part-timer, Momo continued. "Ohh a family love triangle." He shot her an impatient look which she responded to with a cheeky grin. "What's her name?"

"Mitsu…ha? Mitsu…ki- no wait, maybe it was Matsuha….?"

Momo erupted into laughter once again, any previous irritation evaporating at the sincerely stumped expression on his face. "Oh wow, now I actually feel bad for her! The poor thing." When she finally calmed down enough, she noticed he was looking at her with a strange expression and a barely visible smile on his face. "What?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes, the grin still having not faded from her lips.

"Good to have you back," he said, almost warmly. Almost. He turned away from her, going to the next cage, leaving her gaping at his back.

'Where had I gone?' she thought dazedly.

' _He was worried about you_.'

Jiro's words rang in her ears. She watched him go from cage to cage, giving each animal a pet, or a look over, as if it was his job to personally see to it that each of them were cared for. If people in class could see him now…

"Which one's your favorite?" she asked suddenly. He gave her another small smile, like he had a hidden secret, before walking to the back of the room and crouched down in front of a large cage nearest the window, looking almost abandoned, with its surrounding cages all empty.

"Him."

Momo walked over and looked inside. Stretched out lazily was a large, beautiful Angora cat, with a pristine white coat. As soon as Todoroki sat in front of it, it got up and started rubbing itself against the bars, as if beckoning to be petted. The half-n-half hero obliged, reaching out his hand to give it a thorough scratch, although he was hindered every now and then by the cat profusely giving him lick after lick.

It was probably the most love she had ever seen a cat give someone. With a start, she noticed that the feline also had brilliant, mismatched eyes, one blue, one brown. Momo didn't think she had ever seen Todoroki look so content.

"Why don't you take him home?" she asked him softly, not wanting to break whatever spell had been placed. But his eyes seemed to glaze over, flashing with something she couldn't read.

"I'd never do that to him," he said coldly. "Someday, when I have my own place, maybe."

It was a reaction the young heroine had learned to expect from him whenever the topic of his home was brought up, and she chose not to press further. She noticed a beagle in a neighboring cage, looking forlornly at them, big brown eyes droopy and pleading, clearly begging for attention. Momo breathed out a smile before complying, leaning up to give the little dog a rub.

"Can't believe I haven't asked this yet, seeing as this place practically screams for it, but; cats or dogs?" she asked, turning to him with a grin, already sure she knew what his answer would be.

Sunlight was filtering in through the window next to him, lighting up his hair and his eyes, softening every harsh edge, giving him a warm, soft look. Suddenly, he looked much younger; like the 15 year old boy he actually was. And then both corners of his lips twitched, and he smiled that smile he had back in the shopping center, and Momo felt slightly light-headed.

"It'd be close, but cats," he said, and she had to think a bit to remember what she'd asked him. The angora had settled against his hand, just content on having him rub his back. "Let me guess. Dogs?"

"All the way," she said softly, turning back to her beagle. There fell a content, lazy silence over the room. With the animals now quieted down, Todoroki's gentle presence nearby and the warm, afternoon sunlight pouring in through the window, Momo felt like she could stay in that small room forever.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Todoroki." She breathed, so quietly, she felt maybe he didn't hear her.

"…You're welcome."

* * *

The part-timer came in later, 30 minutes having passed, just as Momo had predicted, telling them it was time to leave. The creation specialist shot Todoroki a triumphant look, which he ignored entirely. Mitsuha's or Mitsuki's mood seemed to marginally improve when she'd come in, seeing them quietly petting the animals, not saying a word to each other. She had clearly interpreted it as uncomfortable due to a lack of conversation.

"I think I'm going to tell my brother," Todoroki said as they left the building, finally deciding Yaoyorozu's incessant self-pleased smirking had lasted long enough.

"What, that you want to go out with her?" she teased, cheeky grin on her face.

"No! To hurry up and confess." he snapped. He huffed, blowing some stray bangs out of his eyes. "And do I look like someone who takes random girls out to random places?" She gave him a pointed look, raising an eyebrow. He huffed and looked away. "This was different." He muttered.

Indeed it was. With a start, she realized she hadn't thought of her problems back home for the entire time she had been with him.

' _He was worried about you_.'

She could still hardly believe it, that he'd even think twice about someone like her. But here he was, walking her to the nearest bus stop, after showing her a place that was clearly very special to him. All in an attempt to cheer her up. Like any good friend would. Or maybe it was just the afternoon sun getting to her.

"My parents fought."

Todoroki glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she suddenly offered this information, breaking the silence that had once again settled over them like a cloud of dust. He turned his gaze forward, figuring she didn't need the additional pressure of having eyes on her, saying nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, they've fought before, but this other day was different," she was clenching and unclenching her fist around her bag strap, like she'd been doing earlier as they'd left the school grounds. "My mother thinks my father has done….something horrible. She probably won't forgive him if he has." Momo frowned, blinking rapidly, feeling her throat tighten. "I know I won't."

Todoroki remained quiet.

They'd reached the bus stop. Yaoyorozu instantly sped up, walking over to the stop sign post and leaned heavily against it, the only object nearby offering support; it was the textbook subconscious action of someone who didn't want to be seen.

The surrounding area was quiet and empty, apart from the odd car that would drive past, the glow of the sun glinting off the nearby office buildings and throwing a dull glare on the sidewalk next to them. Todoroki waited for her to say something else, but she didn't.

"What does your father think?"

She blinked at his question. Her brain processed his words. Her eyes widened. Then she turned to him, cheeks glowing as they did whenever her emotions spiked too high. Hope glittered brightly in her eyes. She stood straight, gripping the pole tightly as everything changed.

"I haven't asked him," Yaoyorozu breathed.

A bus appeared around the corner, its pistons hissing as it came to a stop.

"This one's yours, I believe." Todoroki said, watching the doors flap open. She walked towards it, but just before getting on, turned to look at him, her eyes soft and swirling with an emotion that churned up something deep inside. The same something that had simmered up within him the other day in the shopping district.

"Thank you, Todoroki."

And then she left, leaving him smiling gently, in a way that, he realized with a soft jolt, he was doing more and more often, recently. He watched the bus drive away, smile fading the further it got, and continued staring long after it had rounded the corner, lost in thought.

Finally, he turned around and began his walk home.

* * *

When Momo reached home, the first thing she did was make a beeline for her father's lab.

She couldn't believe she'd left this so one-way; her mother had spoken first and implanted the thought into her mind that she was the victim, and so Momo had automatically assumed it to be true, and yet, the first theory wasn't necessarily the right one.

The young heir walked through the swinging doors and made her way through the entry-way, scanning the room for her father. And there he was, sitting at the main desk, just as he always was. He motioned for her to wait a minute, as he was busy taking down what seemed like an order from a phone call. Momo waited patiently for him to finish, placing her bag on the counter and leaned against it, there being no other chair in the room.

Souma Yaoyorozu's lab wasn't the largest - the main was located in the city's outskirts and was one of Japan's largest (it had to be for how many hero-orders he received, being one of the oldest and most trusted hero-tech companies out there). Here at home, he had a few machines, for prototyping, but that was it. His quirk was also that of Creation, but hers was slightly more advanced when regarding the necessity of her attention to detail. This meant his products were only those of pure material; he wasn't ever able to combine elements together or imagine the depth of the bonds to create something immediately usable. So he used machines together with his quirk in a synergy let his success boom.

Both of her parents were extremely driven, self-made people, doing what they loved. Their personalities clashed in the best of ways, and even though they hardly saw each other, the support for the other was always there. It had never bothered either of them before, how little attention one spared for the other, or that the other was so absorbed in their work. It was what made them work so well as a couple.

Or at least, she'd thought it did.

"Well, well, isn't this a rarity." Her father had put down the phone. "To what do I owe the surprise?"

"Dad," she decided to cut straight to the point. "Where were you two nights back? The night you weren't in your lab?"

Immediately, an expression almost like annoyance, flashed over his face, and it was one she had never seen her father use before. Especially not with her. For as harsh and rigid as her mother was with her, her father had always been the opposite, doting and loving, to the point of spoiling her (not that her mother had allowed her to get spoiled). He turned away from her and began messing with papers.

"What is it with the women in this house? What, a man can't leave to get a breath of fresh air? Why do you find it so important to be in control all the time? Is a change of scenery so hard to imagine?"

"No," Momo struggled to keep the hurt and shock out of her voice. "Dad, it's not." Her voice gave a pathetic wobble as she spoke, and she swallowed, desperate to remain strong. "That's why I'm asking you."

Mr Yaoyorozu looked over at her again, saw the hurt on her face and sighed. His features relaxed, and suddenly, he was her father again. "I'm sorry Momo. Of course." He swiveled the chair he was on towards where she stood. "It's just that you look so much like your mother…"

She smiled sadly and looked down, fiddling with the stitching of her bag. She had an idea of what he meant by that…

"I went down to that new place that's opened up. With all the food stuff? I really felt a craving for some chocolate. And none of that gas station stuff, I wanted something high-end."

Momo looked up, eyes bright, throat tightening so hard she could barely breath, hope making her chest swell. "Really?"

He looked back at her, with his soft, gentle brown eyes, and smiled that smile that had always been her father's special one, reserved just for her. And then he pulled out a fancy, half-eaten, personal sized box of chocolates from his drawer and showed her.

"Really," he said.

She let out a cry of happiness, and before she could stop herself, tears had started falling from her eyes. She clasped a hand to her mouth, muffling the sobs. The relief was so intense it shook her shoulders, and it was as if some massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Oh sweetheart," he reached over to wipe away her tears. Momo's happiness clouded her every thought, and she didn't notice the shadow that past over her father's eyes just then, or the slight dimming of his smile as he glanced back at the box of chocolates.

"N-no, it's just," she laughed thickly. "Next time, can you get me some as well? I gave the last of my stuff to Rosie."

"I will," he handed her a tissue and laughed lightly. "Want to see what I've been working on recently?"

She nodded enthusiastically, following her father as he got up from his seat and made his way over to the nearest machine. She didn't know why she hadn't asked him from the start. He was her father, and he loved her and nothing would change that.

And suddenly, she felt such enormous gratitude for the boy who had helped her realize this in the first place. She could have hugged him just then, that was how happy she was. And the next time she'd see him would be Monday. If only there was a way to-

A thought flashed through her head and, unable to dim the smile on her face, she pulled out her phone. She pulled out the number, and typed her message to Todoroki.

"I confronted my father.

I think things are going to be okay."

And that was it. She turned back to her father, who was in the middle of explaining how he'd made the device water proof as well as elastic. And it would only be later that she would see his reply, which he'd sent within two minutes of hers.

"Glad to hear it."

* * *

A/N: Well done for making it all the way!

A bit about Momo and her parents: I imagine Momo to be too trusting and quite innocent, taking whatever she's told from people she trusts at point blank, no questions asked. This by no means is the extent of the affair, but it won't distract from the story, since after all, this fic is about Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, and I'd like to stay focused on that. All I'd like to do is visit how everything would affect these two, whether it be the affair, or anything else.

But enough about that! If you're ever wondering what the status is of my next chapter, I'll have an update on my profile, so feel free to check that out if you're ever curious or wondering what's taking so long xP

OKAY I'm done eating your brains out. Please drop a review and let me know what you think! It was quite heavy after all, so I'd really like to know how I handled it xP


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Holy. Shit guys. The response to the last chapter blew me away; to think that everyone was so _nice_ too, it's just… absolutely incredible, and I am beyond touched. It means the world to me, hearing from every one of you guys. of course, I'm sure most of it was thanks to the AO3 crowd. Welcome to Fanfiction!

Also, to my guest reviewer Sarabi; yes indeed, that Horikoshi doodle _was_ what helped out last chapter xD (P.S. Horikoshi is basically my spirit animal)

Another thanks to my beta jilnachtaugen, who always makes sure my facts line up. And I finally got a hold of the grammar police through 'Too Many Obsessions to Choose', who helped me with commas and speech marks I'd been getting wrong all my life - small, yet so important.

I'm kinda nervous posting this chapter now, cuz I feel like the pressure of expectation to continuously up my game is on. Oh well. Hope y'all like it!

* * *

 **The Sixth Fault**

* * *

All over U.A, a dreary sort of atmosphere had settled, like dust on an old couch. No more would one see students lounging about idly during breaks, instead, a huddle was usually gravitating around a textbook of some sort. Teachers were throwing out homework assignments almost purely of reading tasks. The whispers in classrooms weren't ones of gossip any more, but those of academic discussion within the library.

Exam season was upon them.

"Yaoyorozu, I'm missing something."

Momo sighed, internally groaning, turning rather reluctantly to face Todoroki, who moved over his notebook for her to read.

Exam preparation week had started. This meant everyone in class was finally taking the studies they should have been absorbing attentively from day one, seriously. The written test would be held two days before the practical, and would have parts from every subject thrown in, meaning they had to cover a wide spread of information for a single exam that would only last 3 hours.

By far though, the most surprising development had been Todoroki. He had actually started taking notes during classes, and would spend most of their free time in the library. He continued his after school training sessions as always, but she had once caught him enumerating the different legislations of heroes from 1955 under his breath while creating his usual blasts of ice and fire.

If this wasn't change enough, he had also begun asking her for help.

At first she had been utterly thrilled, and was fully prepared to subliminally rub her larger expanse of knowledge in his face (and maybe pay him back for all the favors he'd done for her). However, the first encounter had gone something as such.

"Yaoyorozu, when it talks about fermentation here," she had leaned in, eyes bright, fully prepared to start explaining concepts from scratch, already compartmentalizing the different paragraphs. "Why are they mentioning glucose? Isn't it lactate? And isn't it in yeast?"

"No, see, when oxygen is deficient, mitochondria can't fully operate, so-"

"Without oxygen, fermentation occurs, and with it, things continue as normal."

"Well, yes-"

"I see."

And he turned away, leaving her blinking in confusion as to what exactly he had 'seen'. She hadn't even begun her explanation.

The second time around wasn't much different.

"Yaoyorozu, when it mentions acid-based quirks here, why are they talking about pores? Before they mention sweat glands were the origin."

She pulled out her own book, and flipped to the chapter on water-centralized hero types. "See, look here. Usually, with water-based quirks, water is collected in the glands, but then distributed to the pores. So knowing that aerobic particles easily collect here-"

"I thought water-types hadn't been covered yet?"

"Well, they haven't, but you kind of need it to understand acid and poison quirk mechanics."

He huffed. "Teachers." He took the book from her before she could say another word, muttering all the while. Just as Momo had straightened, ready to delve into full lecture mode, Todoroki took a picture of the page and shoved the book back in her direction. She blinked.

"Shouldn't you do the whole chapter…?"

"That diagram has the answer to my question, correct?"

"Yes-"

"Then that's good enough."

A digital, off-contrast photo of a _table_ on his _phone,_ where he wouldn't even be able to highlight or makes notes on, was ' _enough_ '?

That was another thing.

He'd adopted this technique where he assumed that everything that would be brought in the tests would be whatever was currently being extensively explained in their lectures. When Momo brought it upon herself to draw up a list of references and online sites to use, Todoroki had said that those topics hadn't been brought up over the last two weeks and hence he was leaving them by choice (although he still took the list). And he was doing this for several subjects as well, leaving out major chunks simply because the teacher hadn't mentioned it.

"The teachers set our paper. So if they aren't teaching us this stuff in class, it's probably not coming at all."

The thing with Todoroki was that he was intelligent, and irritatingly so.

Concepts that took her days to fully understand, he grasped instantly. Momo quickly realized her pointers were hardly being utilized or appreciated. She was a gold-mine of learning; a vast library of knowledge just waiting to be tapped, and yet all he did was use her as a stepping stone to increase the height of his jump.

It hurt her on an innate level, knowing how little he had studied during the term, and yet there he was, coping just as well, if not…if not _better._ And to know that she was only aiding his ascent to the top?

When it came to studies, Momo Yaoyorozu simply wasn't that giving a person.

The last time he came for help was the final straw. He had asked to borrow her language essay as reference, and she had warily agreed; only to have him return it within the hour, saying he'd be better off doing it himself. She'd had to recite every meditative mantra in her arsenal to keep from whacking him. The most frustrating part was that he wasn't even trying to be rude; that bland, apathetic tone was commonplace with Todoroki. No, she simply hadn't been a means to an end for him that time.

The worst part was, Momo was well aware language was her weakest point, and hearing it reaffirmed by him was like a punch to the gut. To add insult to injury, he was obviously going to ace the practical, something she was dreading.

She'd had enough.

After spending a few minutes meditating in front of the bathroom mirror, she had finally told him that she wasn't a tutor, and that, since he was clearly doing just fine on his own, he should just help himself. The ice prodigy had agreed without looking too upset ( _'Somebody punch this guy'_ ), shattering what little pride she had left. Although he did add that her small tips had been saving him lots of time, to which she had said that she didn't have any time for herself either, and needed to focus.

So he'd agreed – which had made her feel slightly guilty – and said he would then direct his questions at Iida (he'd clearly more readily swallow nails than ask Bakugo) – guilt gone. That was how Momo had gained slight peace of mind, determined to maintain her pride as the class' best overachiever. That was, until today.

Todoroki's pencil had not moved for a good 15 minutes now, a result of his struggling the entire lesson on their math worksheet. But she'd determinedly kept her vision focused on her own. He had been following her request quite religiously, and hadn't asked her anything since their talk. And by anything, she meant _anything._

When Momo had said she'd rather he not ask her things, she had meant anything _learning_ related, not to cut off talking entirely. Over the past days, it seemed like he was talking to everyone else except her, and even more so than usual. But she decided to say nothing to him about it, knowing she couldn't send him mixed signals now.

For a while now he'd been shooting furtive glances in her direction, and each time her heart would jump to her throat, thinking he'd talk, but he kept his mouth shut.

Just when she thought he'd never ask, he finally did.

Momo nonchalantly glanced over at his sheet, her ego internally inflating a few sizes now that he had finally talked. She hadn't even had to use other methods. A small glimmer of hope took root; maybe _this_ time, she could actually leave some sort of lasting impression. But as she scanned his work, to her dismay, there didn't seem to be anything outwardly wrong with his calculations.

"Pass me your calculator," she said, and he complied. But one look at the screen had the vice president sighing while passing it back. "You're using the wrong mode."

Todoroki blinked, taking it back, and tried again. Momo watched idly as he put in the numbers, noticing how his frustrated expression cleared as he reached the right answer. Wiping away any signs of a smile, the dark-haired girl tucked away the small glow of happiness, trying to remember why she had put her foot down in the first place.

Oh. Right. The boy simply wasn't good for her self-esteem.

* * *

Shoto wasn't having a very good week.

Aside from exams looming ever closer on the horizon, it was June, and _hot_ , which was especially frustrating because his ice quirk took an even larger amount of energy than usual. And it wasn't even like his fire suddenly got an added oomph either, quite the opposite in fact, since more effort than usual went into his right side. It would be rather irritating, but he still remained fairly confident for the practical.

The written test was another story though.

Leaving everything to the last minute hadn't been one of his best ideas, and things had piled up rather precariously. He'd had to largely cut down on most of the course, and instead had no choice but to focus on the tests from the examiner's point of view; a gamble he had been forced to take.

It didn't help that Bakugo had issued a (very vocal) challenge of getting his revenge for the sports tournament during these tests. Shoto had no idea what the idiot was blathering about; he had _won._ Not that the proclamation had had any sort of effect on him (because it hadn't) but now he felt like he was obligated to score higher than the explosive hero; simply out of principle. It was one thing to have lost to him before (in front of hundreds of thousands) but it was a different type of unacceptable to lose in a competition of IQ – not that exams measured IQ, and not that he needed some type of confirmation of something he already knew.

Then, just when the self-proclaimed prodigy felt like things couldn't possibly get more problematic, Yaoyorozu told him she couldn't help him anymore. Apparently, she didn't tutor people because she didn't have the time – even though her answering a random question now and then couldn't really be called _'tutoring'_ nor was the time he took from her at all significant.

In essence, she'd told him he was a bother.

Still, he'd agreed, since she must have had her reasons, even if he couldn't understand them. And hence, the already massive burden of cramming he had to do only magnified.

So it was with only a bit of effort that, when Yaoyorozu asked him to assess her progress later that morning during the physical training class, he pushed those feelings aside and graciously accepted. (Yeah right. He'd been prepared to downright refuse, but then the sun shone brighter, and her eyes sparkled in that extremely irritating way they tended to, and he found himself grunting begrudgingly in agreement.)

That was how they found themselves in the VR room, along with Jiro, who had also been invited by Yaoyorozu to gauge her abilities as a second opinion. Shoto felt a grate at his patience. Was his judgement suddenly not good enough? Where was this uncertainty when she had come running to him after the sports festival, with her wad of notes?

He looked up suddenly, realizing dimly that he had been spoken to.

"No quirks?" he asked, wondering if he'd heard right.

Yaoyorozu let out an impatient huff, midnight black hair blowing off her face. "Obviously. As if I'd stand a chance if you used your powers." Damn straight. Shoto tried hiding the surge of satisfaction he felt swell within his chest from showing on his face. Momo rolled her eyes, noticing the self-appraising smirk glance his lips before he wiped it away. Him and his pride.

And then it started.

They instantly both crouched into a fighting stance, neither moving at first. Momo then realized she had no right to be on defensive, since it was _her_ movements that were being gauged. And besides, if the roles were reversed, Todoroki would be going in for his classic one-hit KO without hesitation. Gathering resolve, she charged.

Within seconds flat, she was in his face, reaching out for his shoulders, aiming for a grapple. With practiced, instinctual ease, Todoroki swerved to the side, simultaneously grabbing her arms and, digging his heels into the padded mats below, he pulled. Like a rag doll, he spun her over, flipping her onto the floor.

Not wasting a second, Momo threw out her leg, tracing a large arc, aiming for his feet, but again, he easily dodged.

' _Perfect_.'

Using her opposite foot still firmly planted down, the young heroine pushed herself forwards, catching him around the waist, and, successful in overthrowing his center of balance, they both went careening to the ground. He landed underneath her with an _'oomph!'_

As she pushed herself up, her fingers accidentally grazed against his sides and she saw his features contract in a half-smirk, half-grimace and he exhaled sharply, in a way that made her frown in thought.

Taking advantage of her opening, Todoroki brought up his knee to land a kick perfectly on her abdomen. Distracted as she was, she didn't even have time to guard, and she felt his blow resonate deep within her organs, diaphragm pushing up to empty the air out of her lungs. If Momo had been even slightly focused, her instincts would've kicked in and she'd have used her quirk to defend. Irritation overthrew her as she coughed it out, annoyed at still seeming so weak. Her mind raced.

Momo hadn't imagined it. Todoroki had _smiled._ Or as much as someone like Todoroki could smile during a spar. And he had flinched while knocking her hand away from where she'd jabbed him, probably without even realizing.

Shoto got up, wiping some sweat backhandedly from his cheek, worry seeping in. He'd landed that blow harder than he'd expected to, mostly because he had been expecting her guard to be up somewhat. He'd had his reservations at fighting a girl head on, but with her classic snark at her abilities being belittled, Yaoyorozu had insisted he'd best be able to critique any openings if he experienced them first hand. But…

He blinked. Yaoyorozu was _smiling_? Well…that meant she was okay…right?

He watched as she stood up, a strange light in her eyes, a wide grin in place. He readied himself. With a sudden flourish that jerked him into a defensive stance in surprise, she ripped out the elastic from her hair, and scooped any wayward strands out of her eyes, tying it more securely, leaving her face open and clear.

His mouth ran dry. He swallowed.

She then charged again, unleashing a rapid jab of blows she definitely hadn't been able to do only a month ago. Shoto warded off the onslaught, waiting unblinkingly for an opening as he blocked without much trouble (her improving didn't mean _he_ had suddenly grown worse). Without warning, a clenched fist veered off its previous course and came flying towards his face. He caught it instantly.

Suddenly, Yaoyorozu smirked, and his satisfied expression was wiped clean as the ice-and-fire user realized too late that he'd left his right side wide open. A sharp hand approached his flank and almost reflexively, he felt ice begin to gather at his right foot. But before he'd even had a chance to comprehend what was happening, her curled fingers brushed the underside of his ribcage. The ice user grinned despite himself, and instantly stepped back, attempting to get out of her reach, his mask-like expression back on.

But the damage was done.

Yaoyorozu grabbed the hand that had been holding her wrist and flipped him, using the same maneuver he had at the start. Before Shoto had a chance to move (had she become faster, or had he become slower?) she sat on top of him, straddling his waist, her legs pinning his down, hands on either side of his head, the perfect mount position.

She really had been reading those stupid MMA books.

For a moment, they remained like that, sweat dripping down both of their faces, barely inches apart. She was grinning smugly, eyes aglow with the backlight from the ceiling, directly above his head, her light panting stirring the hair at his forehead. And for that moment he stared, catching his breath, tracing the droplets of perspiration as they trailed down her neck, chest heaving with each breath. His eyes moved with her every movement, forgetting that he was supposed to be assessing her fighting skills, forgetting that this was the middle of the day, with people separated by just a wall.

Forgetting about Jiro sitting _right there._

Shoto's eyes snapped to the side of the room. His eyes met the punk rock heroine's, and he felt heat crawl up his neck as he noticed the large, knowing smirk splitting her face in two. Jiro was quickly becoming the second most grating personality in U.A. (after Mineta, and replacing Bakugo).

Then, as if his movement had made her realize too, Yaoyorozu quickly moved herself off of him, legs folding in underneath her, sitting right next to him, her back straight, hands folded neatly in her lap. The dark-haired girl smirked down at him, and before he could stop himself, his line of vision had dropped to her lips. He watched dazedly as they moved, his brain taking more than a few moments to compute what it was that she was saying.

"You're ticklish."

His eyes snapped wide open. "Huh-?" Before he could process this, he watched as her hand drifted downwards, towards his stomach. Without hesitation, he slammed his right hand to the ground, several large icicles shooting up, barely missing her head as she leapt back just in time.

If his face wasn't warm before, it was on fire now.

"Hey, no quirks remember?!" she yelled.

"This match is over," he said, turning his head away from her prying gaze, getting up to leave. Jiro had erupted into full blown guffaws behind him. Momo ignored her friend and quickly stood up after him.

"Hang on Todoroki," she caught up to him as he put on his shoes. "There's no reason to be embarrassed. So what if you're tickli-"

"I'm not embarrassed!" he cut her off, turning around, eyes ablaze, "And I'm not-" his tongue jammed at the pathetic 't' word. " _That."_

He left into the connecting hallway of the training rooms before she could get another word out. She followed him, white socks thudding soundlessly against the cold floor.

Yaoyorozu sighed. "Honestly, you're such a child."

Todoroki glared at her, only to see her looking at him, face clear, reflecting her earnest agitation. To his mortification, he felt the heat from his neck spread to his face and he quickly raised a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose, passing a chill through it in an attempt at lowering the sudden inexplicable increase in temperature. She frowned, not understanding her peer's strange reaction in the slightest. "Well… at least tell me how I did."

There was a pause.

"You've improved from before," he said finally. "You'll be fine for the practical, especially since you'll be using your quirk as well. Make sure not to stress over it too much."

Yaoyorozu beamed. Todoroki was careful not to look at her, a controlled frown still tugging at his lips.

"Are you…." she started saying. He wished she wouldn't study him that way. He wasn't in a mood to be dissected. Not today. "Are you _angry_ with me?"

This girl was incredible.

"I'm not angry." he said blandly, not looking at her.

"Well, you're _mad_."

"I'm not mad."

"You are."

"I'm _not mad."_ He snapped, turning to glare at her. She grinned in satisfaction, that way she did whenever she won, albeit her smile was a bit lackluster. He turned back to the door, giving a close-mouthed sigh and left before she could interrogate him any further.

* * *

He was mad.

It was irrational, and he didn't really understand it.

He had planned on completing his math work during their self-study period, but this new development was proving to be a little troublesome. Seeing Jiro, Kaminari, Ashido, Ojiro and Sero looking expectantly on as Yaoyorozu prepared an elaborately simple run through of the history of supervillains on the board was testing his resilience unlike anything had in quite a while.

Yaoyorozu had only a couple of days ago told him she didn't teach, because she didn't have the time. Even though his sparse questions hardly took up any time at all. And yet here she was taking out an entire free study period to hold what was, basically, a tuition class. Todoroki felt what remained of his thinned-out patience burn away.

"So here, just remember, the worst villain, arguably ever, was Wormhole. The devastation he caused was unparalleled to none, and-"

"But hang on, I remember sensei saying the most destruction ever caused was by Bleakator," one of the girls interrupted.

"Yes, in terms of physical wreckage. However Wormhole-"

"Yeah, I remember that!" That was Kaminari. "Sensei _did_ say something like that didn't he?" Todoroki instantly felt a spike in his irritation as the blond interrupted. Ohhh he was _not_ in the state of mind to listen to Kaminari. "Here, I can even find the page where it says that." And he proceeded to flip through the textbook.

"And I'm agreeing with you." Yaoyorozu had too much patience. Todoroki tapped his pencil impatiently against the blank page in front of him, reading the same line again for the sixth time. "But you have to look at the time in which both of them were respectively at large-"

"Here!" The blond piped up, cutting Yaoyorozu across again. Todoroki felt his head throb. Was the idiot not listening to her at all? Kaminari proceeded to hold up and point to the paragraph. "Look at that hole! Apparently, it's still lying there in the middle of the ocean. They have guided tours there and everything."

"That's correct. However Wormhole-"

"' _The pit created by Bleakator remains the widest manmade crater on earth."_

Why had Kaminari bothered coming to this class, if he was just going to listen to the sound of his own voice? Or perhaps, a better question yet, why was there a _class_ _in the first place_?

 _"It is second only to the Vredefort Crater, and spans over 90 miles.'_ That is some _massive_ firepower! Not even Bakugo could destroy something that level."

"So he created a giant hole," Todoroki blurted, unable to contain himself. The level of intelligence was starting to reach ridiculously low levels. "But he didn't take anywhere near as many lives as Wormhole."

The small group all turned to stare at the sudden intruder in obvious surprise, probably forgetting he had been there at all. Momo was the first to recover.

"U-uhm yes, exactly. Wormhole was responsible for the deaths of over 1500 people, wiping out 3 villages completely from existence-"

"Wrong."

Momo sighed impatiently. "What is wrong exactly, Todoroki?"

It wasn't lost on him that the only time she lost her patience was when _he_ pointed out the answer. An answer meant to _help her._ To a point _she'd_ been trying to make. To something clearly her _class_ hadn't been listening to at all. He found it all rather irritating.

"They weren't wiped from existence," he said, eyes leveled, tone clipped.

Yaoyorozu sighed. "Turn to page 34 and 35, it says pretty clearly-"

"Simply quoting pages won't pass you any tests." He took some mild gratification in seeing her jaw drop at a loss for words. "It says they were then rebuilt by the same hero who defeated him."

"They were still destroyed though."

"You said to be exact," he rebutted. "And following through requires me to say that being rebuilt, with the same names, with the same people moving back in, in essence, restored them back to existence."

"I don't want to waste time arguing semantics."

They glared at each other from across the room for a few seconds before he huffed, the breath stirring up his bangs, before turning down to continue his quadratics. He heard her sigh.

"Sorry about that, guys. Now if we can continue _in peace…_ " She shot him a look, which he ignored completely, writing down the answer to the first question on his worksheet. Satisfied he was sufficiently distracted, Yaoyorozu continued. "So the most physical damage was done by Bleakator, and the largest genocide was by Wormhole. This makes a rather convenient segway to the villain who did both; the villain spreading the most terror, ever in history. Any guesses?"

"Mundane?" Kaminari struck again.

A sharp snort resounded loudly. Todoroki had given up on getting any work done, choosing instead to aimlessly darken the scribble in the corner of his page. "Yeah, if by terror you mean mass subterfuge."

Kaminari made a childishly derisive face in response, but Momo bristled in hearty anger.

"Todoroki, please stop." Her tone emanated her no-nonsense tolerance.

He leaned back lazily, looking at her through subtly narrowed eyes. "What? I don't see a problem. I'm giving my opinion. It's a group-study class after all – oh wait, no, it's _self-study._ Isn't it."

Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed as she studied him for a second before replying, "I'm _trying_ to teach."

The pre-heroine had chosen the wrong words. Shoto narrowed his eyes as well. "I thought you didn't teach."

"I don't," she snapped. "But everyone here was struggling with the same thing, so I thought I'd-"

"I thought you didn't have _time,_ " his voice was dripping with mockery. "I thought you needed _to focus."_

The rest of the study group had fallen silent, watching the rare public exchange between the two, their heads whipping back and forth; now however, their gazes were currently fixed on the vice president.

Momo opened her mouth, about to say something before she stopped and swallowed visibly. For a moment her eyes glowed over-bright, as if she were about to cry. But just as doubt and regret had started to bleed into his mind, suddenly, she inhaled deeply. Then exhaled. Her back straightened. "Todoroki, please see me outside," she said rigidly, and walked out the front classroom door, not sparing him a glance.

Heads all turned to stare at the boy in question. He snorted loudly again, crossing his arms. He wasn't going anywhere.

The door slammed back open with a loud thud, and Yaoyorozu poked her head back in, eyes ablaze.

"Todoroki. Shoto. A _minute_ of your time, _please._ "

With a whip of her ponytail, she threw herself back out of view. Irritably he shoved back his chair. Shoto gathered his books, stuffing them into his bag and hiked it onto his shoulder before shoving his hands in his pockets. He should have just gone to the library like the rest of the class. He thought Yaoyorozu staying behind would mean better focusing here, but clearly, she had had other motives.

"Dude, Yaomomo went full name on you. You're _so_ busted~" A voice hissed. Mineta. The insolent little bubble kid had been sitting in a corner without anyone knowing.

Todoroki felt all the blood in his veins rush to his left side, the only thing holding him back from _roasting him into oblivion_ being the fact that he didn't have a spare uniform to change into when he burnt through this one. Shoto instead settled for taking some satisfaction when Ashido smacked the purple prune upside the head.

He stepped out into the corridor. Yaoyorozu was leaning against the wall, her foot tapping irritably against the floor, her gaze focused distractedly out the large hallway windows. Before he could do anything, however, she spoke.

"What was that Todoroki?"

She was looking at him, not with the angry expression as he had expected, but with one of disappointment. Like he had let her down. And just like that, he felt ashamed. Guilty. And that was ridiculous because shouldn't _she_ be feeling that way? He gave a muffled sigh, eyebrows furrowing, gaze dropping to the linoleum floor, his mind starting to hurt wondering when exactly she had turned the tables on him.

They were back again; the flurry of emotions he just wasn't able to understand.

"Enough of trying to pretend you don't have feelings, okay? You're mad, and that's fine. But I want to know why."

"I'm not mad," he said, impressing even himself with how calm he sounded. He wasn't angry. He wasn't. Anger was for those without control, like his pathetic father. And even if he were mad, he certainly wouldn't be at her. And definitely not because she was helping people learn. That was ridiculous. That was a _good_ thing, and he would strive to become a hero who encouraged good deeds.

If anything, he was pissed off at Kaminari for being so utterly idiotic and Mineta for grinding on his nerves. Because that definitely made more sense than him being mad at _Yaoyorozu_. Being mad at Yaoyorozu would mean something along the lines of him being annoyed she'd lied about not being able to help him. Being mad at her would mean he had wanted her to teach _only him._ Being mad at her would mean he was hurt by the fact that she simply wasn't willing to go _out of her way_ for him.

No. He _did_ feel angry; angry that she was making him think about something so mundane in the first place.

"Of course you are!" She cried out. "Do you think you're the type of person to openly mock others? Rhetorical question; of course not. You may be distant, but you're not cruel."

One thing he did know was that he wasn't in the mood of getting lectured. He huffed loudly, turning to walk away. He had studying to do.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Leaving. That's what you want, right?"

"No, I want to understand."

Shoto could have laughed. "There's nothing to understand." He started down the hall but she moved abruptly in front of him, cutting his path.

"Todoroki!" He groaned to himself. She was nothing if not persistent, he'd give her that much. "What's wrong?"

"Like I said; nothing."

"I'm not stupid!-"

" _Fine."_ He said, perhaps more harshly than he'd meant to. He took in a steadying breath. "I'm _mad._ Satisfied _?_ " He pushed past her.

"No!" she yelled at his back. " _Why_ are you mad?"

"It doesn't _matter_."

" _Todoroki-"_

" _You,_ " he snapped, rounding on her, his limit finally met. " _You_ are what angers me. Your perfectionism is smothering. Your one-sightedness is selfish, and in your self-proclaimed 'quest for redemption' you've succeeded in alienating everything that becoming a hero means."

Yaoyorozu stared at him, eyes wide.

She didn't deserve to look at him like that, like _she_ had been done wrong against. He'd told her he was leaving, it was _her_ who kept pestering him until he exploded, what else did she _expect?_ That he'd sit down with her and discuss mental therapy over a cup of coffee? She would _not_ make him feel regret; in fact, he felt better, like a load had left his shoulders. His eyes glanced behind her to catch the heads of their classmates dart back inside the classroom as they saw him look up.

Yaoyorozu was still quiet, and he looked back at her, the start of that something he didn't want to identify beginning to gnaw away at his conscience.

"Just… go back Yaoyorozu. Teach your _class,_ " he spat out the last part. "I'll get out of your way."

A flicker of realization crossed her eyes, and she finally moved, and he continued on his path. She took a small step towards him. One last, final attempt.

"Todoroki…" she said, voice quivering ever so slightly. "If you want, you can join us-"

The look he gave her then was more fierce than anything she'd ever seen. It reminded her of the beginning days, before the sports festival, the way he looked at anyone who got in his way. Although back then, he hadn't looked quite so… hurt.

"Don't patronize me." He hissed. Pinning her down with his glare, he began walking passed.

And that's how he left her, staring after him as he rounded the corner.

* * *

The first time Kyoka Jiro met Satomi Yaoyorozu, she didn't understand what Momo complained about.

Mrs Yaoyorozu was a sleek, pristine woman, without a single hair out of place, as if an iron had been pressed over her entire body. She was a woman who screamed independence and success, and Kyoka was instantly drawn to her.

From a very young age, coming from a large family with siblings much older than she was, Kyoka had to learn how to be smart in order to get what she wanted. Just standing out required meticulous planning and setting up, which sometimes even took days to weeks in the making. And this resilience had given her an independence she treasured – to be fully aware and in control of your own life.

It was almost sunset when Momo's mother entered the rather large hall they were studying in.

"What's going on here?"

"Mother," Momo turned. "We're having a study session. We won't be a bother."

There was a quick going around the table as everyone introduced themselves. "Good to see a hero school finally giving importance to academics."

Kyoka felt especially childish just then; they probably seemed so crude to the woman, all brawn, no brains. Suddenly, Kyoka was really glad she had studied what she had, because if the woman started asking random questions, she was fairly confident she wouldn't be completely blank. "Well, I hope you'll be able to extract some benefit from Momo. Feel free to add where you believe her to be lacking."

Ashido shot Momo a roguish grin, while Ojiro, ever the gentleman, answered, "On the contrary, your daughter is far too knowledgeable. If anyone were qualified to teach, it's her. She is the best in the class, after all."

"As well as being the vice president," Kaminari added.

"Yes," Mrs Yaoyorozu brushed non-existent creases from her coat. "Winning by a landslide of 2 votes, 1 of which was her own."

Snickers echoed around the table. Momo felt her face turn red.

"Ouch," Kaminari whispered in Kyoka's ear.

"I kinda like her," she replied back.

She could feel the blond roll his eyes at her. "Of course you do."

It was only later that night, when the boys had left for home, while Kyoka and Mina decided to spend the night in Momo's room, that the young heroine realized that life hit everybody just as hard, no matter how wealthy, well-dressed or successful.

Momo and Mina had left to get spare mattresses and throws for the night (the Yaoyorozu mansion had plenty of guest bedrooms, but it wasn't a sleepover unless everyone was piled up in one room) and Jiro, not knowing if she should scare them, trip them, zap them, pondered her options as she waited by the door. It was as she attached her plug into her wall listening for their footsteps that she heard it; the rising of angry voices.

While one voice was much louder and clearly female, the other was more subtle and male. Not to mention the voices were in the opposite direction to where Momo and Mina were still mulling around in the guest rooms. Kyoka made her way to the opposite wall, and realized with a start, that the voices were easily heard through Momo's window even without any aiding devices, although what they were saying exactly was only decipherable once she reattached her plug.

 _"How stupid do you think I am?"_

 _"Quite, if you truly are so paranoid as to think I would lie."_

 _"It certainly isn't unheard of, and when all the pieces of evidence are put together-"_

 _"What pieces of evidence? Satomi, what reason could I possibly have?"_

 _"I don't know, what reason does any man have to start having an affair-"_

' _Woah woah wooaaaah_.' Kyoka immediately staggered back, plug falling out of the wall. That had been something she had most certainly not wanted to eavesdrop on. Her heart raced, and she felt the heat rise to her face. Momo wouldn't appreciate this, not in the slightest. And to her horror, she could still hear them rather obviously through the windows.

She quickly made her way over to Momo's speakers, spending more time than she was proud of trying to set up a connection, and put on some music. 'Oh thank god.' She breathed a sigh of relief as the rock music started thrumming through the room, effectively blocking out any of the voices.

"Kyoka, what in the world?"

"Yeah, at least put on something with taste, jeez."

The two girls were back, and Kyoka quickly tried to regain composure, wiping any traces of agitation from her face, taking deep, controlled breaths to slow down her racing heart. Mina quickly bounced over to where she sat, dumping all sheets and blankets in the doorway at Momo's feet.

" _Mina_!" Momo cried at the mess.

"Here, let _me_ put something on!" The fluffy heroine snatched Kyoka's phone, ignoring the other girl entirely, and began shuffling through Kyoka's playlist.

"Listen," Momo's no-nonsense mode had turned on. "We're here to study, and learn. Let's not put this opportunity to waste. They say the last few nights before an exam are the most important."

Kyoka watched as her friend began spreading out their different sleeping equipment while lecturing them and still sounding stern while doing so. She reminded Kyoka of her own mother just then. With a sigh, she got up to help, smacking some sense into Mina through the back side of her head, and the pink hero also reluctantly got up to help their host.

That seemed to lighten up their vice president's mood quite a bit, and after they had everything set up, she offered them a smile. Show her you cared and everything became right with the world. The sound heroine rolled her eyes.

Yup. Just like her mother.

"Thanks you two. Now!" The tall girl clapped her hands together. "Time to study!" she walked over to the speakers in an effort to turn it off.

"Wait Momo, let's study with the music on," Kyoka said rather frantically, running over to grab her phone out of her friend's reach.

"The mind cannot concentrate on two things at once, Kyoka," Momo chided, frowning at her friend's rather ruffled tone, and Kyoka had to make an active effort to not bang her head against the wall.

"Pfft, we're women, VP. We can multi-task!" Mina piped in. But it fell on deaf ears.

"You guys are hopeless. What would you do without me?"

"Just a second Momo-" But the girl had already pulled out the wire. And, just like in the movies, with the silence came the two arguing voices, pouring in through the windows. They sounded even louder than before, and if one simply pressed up against the glass, they could probably even make out the words.

Kyoka's eyes drifted onto her friends. Momo's face had gone pale, figuring out exactly what was going on outside and her eyes were wide, darting this way and that, as if trying to come up with a solution to rewind time.

"What's that? Are there people in your back lawn?"

Mina had begun making her way towards the windows, and before Momo had even turned, Kyoka had darted, hand thrust out to block the moth-girl's path. "No! I already checked. I think Mrs Yaoyorozu is watching some drama series or something. Right Momo?"

The girl blinked at the sudden question, and as Mina turned to look at her, she managed a weak smile. "Y-yeah…"

Mina seemed to accept this without any further questioning, and Kyoka idly wondered how the girl would cope in future life. "Aw man, your mom's living it up. She's chilling, while we suffer here, studying."

"I'd hardly call staying in a house like this 'suffering', Mina," Kyoka said, shooting a small wink at Momo. The latter just smiled at her gratefully. "So, music, Momo?"

"I suppose…" she relented. The girls shared a small, quiet smile. "But instrumentals only."

"Sure thing, boss."

* * *

The Todoroki estate wasn't as massive as it was beautiful.

It was certainly larger than the average household, with just its anterior spreading out almost two times their classroom in U.A. The large sliding entrance doors spanned up from the ground right up until the start of the sloping roof, the slate gray ceramic intricately tiled with all the curving grace of 15th century yamajirō. Spread across the smooth, cold stone the walls were comprised of large shutter windows, all deeply inlaid at regular intervals and quite reminiscent of the defensive architecture of feudal Japan. It was almost as if Endeavor wanted to be prepared in case a battalion of archers were to suddenly raid in the middle of the night.

However, although the house wasn't as numbingly large as the Yaoyorozu's, their gardens were overwhelming.

The front gate was at least a basketball court's distance away from the main doors, with the gardens being almost twice as wide. A walkway of cobblestone led the way neatly to the entrance, comprised of stones smoothed over by water – probably from the bottom of some crystal stream. As one neared the house, lush, fully grown bonsai trees sprung up from the ground, fanning their leaves in a display of thick, healthy splendor. And where there weren't bonsais, there were sakura, pine and maple trees, and, it being the forefront of summer, each was in its full glory, a burst of color and brilliance.

It had taken Momo the good side of forty minutes before she was able to, first, get over how breathtaking her classmate's home was, and second, tear herself away from the large pillar of the estate's gate. There had been no guards either – clearly a house full of heroes needed no such frivolity – and so she had walked down the path, feeling incredibly small and incredibly out of place.

She now stood at the doors, having rung the bell, back rigid in the way it got as nerves hit her, feet together and hands clamped in front where people could see that she meant only poise and no harm; a position her mother had drilled into her at a very young age. As she stared intensely at the door's edge, patiently waiting for someone (hopefully Todoroki) to appear, her mind began to wander.

It had been two days since their argument.

The written test had been conducted that morning and it had gone, surprisingly, much more smoothly than she had anticipated, given her mental state. But all considered, Momo was relatively certain she'd do fine. The questions had been easy enough, although whether or not she'd rank first was another matter that she wasn't concerned with (until her mother found out, that is).

Her impromptu tutor squad had bombarded her with teary smiles and overly bright eyes, singing her praise and insisting they would have not stood a chance without her. And it would have all made her feel incredible, were it not for one small detail.

Todoroki hadn't spoken a word to her.

He had arrived at the last possible second before the start of the test, ignoring Aizawa's glare, and had sat down quietly next to her, without so much as a nod. Throughout the three hours of the exam, Momo had been left distracted, their argument playing out in her mind on repeat. The ice user had then left with almost an hour to spare (Bakugo's pencil had suspiciously gone into overdrive after that, and he, too, left, ten minutes later); Momo had spent an entire five minutes staring at the door Todoroki had left through, and probably would have continued for longer until she locked eyes with Aizawa. Hurriedly, she lowered her gaze, lest anyone accuse her of cheating.

Momo was the first to admit she hadn't handled the Todoroki situation as wonderfully as she should have. Forget his personality being pride-ridden; _hers_ was. Her mind was a complete mess. He was mad at her. He was _mad at her_ and she didn't have the slightest idea of how to fix it.

Todoroki's frustration, her selfishness, his justified, hurt anger; everything had hit her at once with one sharp glare. Momo had been plagued in guilt ever since, and the only thing that helped her move past it at all was studying. Kyoka and Mina had brought it up a bit, and she was sure everyone who had been in that classroom wanted to know what happened next. But she had shrugged them off, saying she'd talk to him after the tests, and that he didn't need that sort of distraction.

A part of her had hoped that by the time the written test came along, things would have blown over, just like their previous disagreements. But seeing his cold shoulder towards her that morning confirmed her worst suspicions; he was still furious.

So Momo had decided to corner him, and fix it – she was prepared to beg if she had to….well, maybe just ask very, _very_ sincerely for his forgiveness. But he hadn't been in the training rooms. After asking around (Tokoyami, Kirishima and Bakugo had stayed back after the paper to practice for their upcoming practical in two days), Momo discovered that the elusive prodigy had gone home.

A quick google search had given her the directions she needed, and that was how she found herself in front of the Todoroki estate, quaking in her boots, wondering for the hundredth time what in the world she was doing there.

She felt nauseous.

The gentle sound of the door sliding open cut off all thought, and Momo felt herself jump in surprise as a sweet-looking woman opened the door. She tilted her silver head at the younger girl in confusion.

"Hello," her voice sounded quite young. "How can I help you?"

Momo felt her mouth move, but no words came out. The woman, who Momo determined looked to be only a few years older than she was, blinked behind her glasses. "Are you lost?"

Rapidly, she shook her head, black ponytail swinging in a flurry. She couldn't for the life of her bring herself to talk. Now that she was there, and it was happening, and she was standing in front of what had to be Todoroki's sister, Momo simply couldn't get her mind to think in comprehensible sentences.

She drew in a large breath of air, and closed her eyes, exhaling deeply. She tried not thinking about how ridiculous she must look. "I-I'm… looking for T-Todoroki…"

"Which one?"

"Oh…" the creation specialist stared at the flat, embedded stones under her feet, feeling her face grow uncomfortably hot. "Shoto…"

Momo thanked the forces above that she didn't stutter this time.

The young woman let out a gentle exclamation, drawing the Yaoyorozu heir's eyes back up. "Ah! Of course! I should have recognized U.A.'s uniform!" She flashed Momo a carefree smile, grey eyes – so much like Todoroki's – lighting up, and she then rapped her knuckles against her head. "I'm such an airhead sometimes. Please, come on in."

Momo stepped inside, taking off her shoes, noticing that there were more than just two pairs already lined up in the shoe rack. In fact, there were almost ten there, so either Todoroki owned a lot of shoes, or the house was currently full.

Momo's level of apprehension sky-rocketed.

"I'm Fuyumi Todoroki, Shoto's older sister."

"Momo Yaoyorozu," she quietly replied, following after Fuyumi. The young creation specialist studied the older girl's back, noticing for the first time that the girl had streaks of red littering her hair, and she wondered idly if Fuyumi could control fire at all.

"I hope Shoto hasn't been causing you too much grief," Fuyumi turned, and flashed an expression towards her which could only belong to an older sister. Momo felt herself smile as the other woman's soft eyes shone with curiosity.

"No, not at all…-" Momo had to forcefully stop herself before she went on a rant about how it was _her_ who was troubling _him,_ and that her little brother was not only the perfect student and role model, but quite a lovely person as well.

"I'm glad," Fuyumi gave an almost knowing smile, as if she could read Momo's thoughts, and the student decided that if she were to have had an older sister, she'd have wanted one like this. "Here, why don't you make yourself comfortable, while I call him?"

Momo remained standing in the doorway, staring quite brazenly, as Fuyumi walked away. She had been left in what appeared to be a waiting room of sorts – it was bare from any sort of homely pictures or personal items, instead filled with enough decoration for one to be able to tell it was a room meant to impress. The floor was lined with tatami, and as Momo made her way over to sit down at the table in the middle of the room, she was surprised at how soft it felt underneath her feet.

One of the walls bore an intricate tapestry, and the rest were riddled with works of calligraphy. They were beautiful, but she didn't recognize any of them, and realized they had perhaps been crafted by one of the current residents. A window, large enough to be a door, lay open, letting in the calming sound of the breeze, which whistled faintly against the woodwork.

So engrossed was she in her studying of all the assorted pieces that she didn't notice the presence which had entered the room behind her.

"And who might you be, princess?"'

Momo whipped around, so fast the end of her hair slapped the side of her face, eyes wide.

The man who had entered was not Todoroki- well, of course he was _a_ Todoroki; but he wasn't Shoto.

He was incredibly tall, for one. His face was chiseled, even though he could hardly be twenty years old. Two electric blue eyes glowed brightly, vivid even from where she sat, and he had a full head of deep, crimson hair. If she hadn't been looking so intensely, she would have thought he was Endeavor himself. But with his much leaner frame, and the large (slightly disturbing) smile stretched out on his face, it was quite apparent that this was his son.

His smile widened and, with a jolt of embarrassment, Momo realized it was because she'd been staring.

"Yaoyorozu. Momo. Momo Yaoyorozu," she said, tripping over her words, sounding truly like a lost, intimidated little girl.

Momo had never felt so overwhelmed in her entire life. There was something inherently _not right_ about him, or his unwavering Cheshire-like grin, and all her hairs stood on end, her instincts firing and her reflexes on high alert. But as a result, all the blood was diverted from her brain, leaving her rather slow on the uptake.

At her faltering, again, the towering male's smirk grew and a chill ran down her spine. He hooked his thumbs into his pockets, walking towards her in loping, self-assured strides.

"Right. So, Momo-chan," all her alarm bells blared at the casual use of her name. The complete disregard and lack of reaction to her family name also struck a chord; did he not know who she was? "What does a nice looking girl like you want with cold, distant, morbid little Shoto? Here to confess?"

Of all the things she expected him to say, _that_ was not one of them. "N-..no!"

"You a stalker then?"

"No!"

"But you _are_ into him, am I right?" He was now seated across from her, too close for comfort. However, up close, he felt much more…real, and somehow, Momo was able to regain some of her composure.

"Are those the only possibilities you can think of?"

"Well, you're a girl, aren't ya?" As if making her female meant romance was all she could think of. She felt her feminist side flare up.

"And that immediately makes me boy-hungry?"

"Yes."

The way he said that floored her. She opened her mouth to refute that highly degrading opinion, but stopped as she noticed his expression. He was looking at her in a way that made her skin crawl, and she suddenly realized he meant ' _you're a girl'_ in a far more carnal sense. The fear was back. Momo sent a panicked, telepathic call to Fuyumi or Todoroki – _her_ Todoroki.

What was taking them so long?

"Well…" she said, desperately trying to contain the tremor in her voice. Momo watched as he raised a scarlet eyebrow, his smile turned condescending, as if no matter what she said, his opinion wouldn't change. "I hate to break your stereotype, but all I'm here for is simply to clarify something."

"Ahh _right_ , of _course!_ You had to _clarify_ something." He mocked. "And it couldn't wait until school?"

"No." As much as she'd tried, her response sounded weak, like a child being stubborn for no reason other than to pout. His patronizing tone had left her feeling defeated, ridiculed and utterly out of her depth; a trifecta she simply wasn't used to. At least, not with people who weren't her mother.

Once again, the look behind his dynamic blue irises changed. It blew her mind that eyes so strikingly similar to Todoro- _Shoto's_ could be such poles apart, although the similarity meant she was able to read _this man's_ eyes just as easily she was Tod- _Shoto's_. There was none of her peer's modesty, kindness or his charming insecurity here. The only similarity was a calculating intelligence. With T- _Shoto,_ it was magnetic, whereas here, with his brother, it was fearsome. It was a look that showed he knew much more than he was letting on. His voice was light in a way that suggested he was carefree, however, there was something not...right... about the glint in his eyes.

"Are you pregnant?"

Momo felt herself choke, throat tightening uncomfortably and face flushing furiously. Her heart thudded erratically, and she was sure she was falling. " _Excuse_ me?"

"No, you're not excused."

"No!" she couldn't meet his eyes. She wanted to _leave_. " _No!_ I just owe him an apology."

He scoffed, a deep scratching of his throat, and suddenly, she felt a pressure start to build behind her eyes. "Oh really?" That derogatory tone again. "What could you have possibly done which would require you to come to his house, just for an apology?"

"I was disrespectful, when he's always been the opposite." Momo found her voice to be coming out quite steadily, much to her relief. She didn't need to give the man any satisfaction of having succeeded in shaking her to the core.

"Oh? How exactly?"

"Todoroki helped me, a while ago; how to fight, how to improve. It's helped me a lot, and yet, when I had the chance to repay that debt, I threw it back in his face."

She didn't know why she bothered answering whatever he asked. Silence was always a valid answer. It was like he had her under some sort of hypnotic, masochistic spell. Her mother would be ashamed.

"And hence, you feel he's upset with you." Momo's expression must have been answer enough because he continued. "I don't know, he looked perfectly fine when he came home. Happier than usual, even." He was trying to get a rise out of her, Momo told herself. He took some sort of twisted gratification in antagonizing her, and she would not let him succeed. So she told herself. And yet, her heart sank as doubt began to trickle in.

"Well, regardless, I feel it's only right for me to clarify my actions."

"How noble. But allow me to clarify something to _you_ , Momo-chan, just to help alleviate some of that...guilt." His tone had grown derisive, gaining an icy edge that hadn't been there before and with a start Momo realized; this man was _evil_. "Consider it a token of my appreciation of a pretty face; just so there's no confusion about where you are and who you're dealing with."

The air stilled, and something about him drew every ounce of her focus onto him. The room around them disappeared, and every muscle in her body tensed.

"You think just because Shoto talked to you a little that it suddenly gives you the right to waltz into our home. Into _Endeavor's_ home?"

' _What?'_ "N-no, I-"

"I believe I was talking," his eyes were stone cold, and Momo's mouth clamped shut, suddenly feeling very alone and very scared. "Endeavor has made sure to raise all of us not to disappoint. Even my half-ass failure of an older sister could sweep the floor with you. Such is expected of the offspring of the best hero in Japan."

Momo noticed how he said 'best' instead of 'number two', but she kept her mouth shut.

"Shoto is my father's _pride and joy_ ," he practically spat out those words, and Momo was suddenly alerted to a far more raw, more merciless relationship. Yet just then, she wasn't able to spare much sympathy. "And he is easily levels above docile little Fuyumi. His abilities are nothing to sneeze at, even I give him credit.

"So now, you listen to me very carefully," he leaned forward. Momo didn't move. "Shoto is elite. _We_ are elite. We have fire flowing through our veins. I could have you burnt to a crisp _right now_ , and would have to answer to no one. That is just how high we are on the socialist food chain."

Electric blue bore into her dark eyes.

His words should have threatened her. They should have had her quaking where she sat. However, the thought of her mother letting anyone get away with killing her was utterly ridiculous, and that thought alone comforted her.

"I think that Shoto doesn't think twice about you, or anyone else in that plebeian school of yours. He doesn't need to. So when he _'helped you',_ " the sarcasm and disdain were heavy as he said those words. "I'm positive it meant almost nothing to him. Something you considered a debt to be paid was probably not even worth remembering. So, _Momo_ ," He gave her a smile that chilled her very soul. "I can assure you, this debt you feel you absolutely must repay? It doesn't exist. You can rest easy."

He was mocking her. She knew it in her mind, but her heart broke anyway. It wasn't a stretch to imagine someone like Shoto not thinking twice about a 'commoner' like her. Someone like her, who always brought on problems; someone who had issues, who took advantage of his kindness, only repaying it with selfishness. Why would he bother keeping up with someone like that, whose strength and abilities paled in comparison to his. He kept proving himself, time and again, whereas the only highlight she'd had all year was being a recommendation student.

"Looks like you understand. I just saved you a _very_ embarrassing conversation. Aren't you glad you opened up to me?"

Not in the slightest.

"So, Momo-chan, do you still feel upset? Because-"

"Yaoyorozu?"

Momo's heart jumped to her throat and her ears rang with the roar of her own blood. That voice was one she knew all too well. She didn't dare turn her head for the fear that, if she did, she would find it to be just an illusion created by her own mind. Or worse; an cruel illusion created by the man in front of her.

"And the prodigal hero of the hour appears!"

The sardonic words had barely left the man's mouth when Momo was already turning her head to look up. Todoroki – Shoto – was standing in the doorway. Relief washed over her like a bucket of cold water. Momo swore she had never been so reassured in her entire life.

Then the older man's words came gushing back in and, just as quickly, her happiness disappeared, replaced by a sadness more piercing than before.

"Why are _you_ here?" Momo felt her heart stop, but then realized Shoto wasn't speaking to her; instead his gaze was zeroed in on the redhead in front of her, who returned the look with a lazy smirk. The young pre-hero's expression was a strange one, one of a simmering loathing and his tone rang with an undertone of - was that... fury?

"No need to get all angsty baby bro. Unlike you, I was a good host, and I helped solve Mo-chan here's issue." Momo hardly reacted at the nickname. "Bet that's more than you can say, eh, Sho-chan."

Shoto's eyes suddenly fell on her and for the first time since they had started talking, the first time since what they shared between them had started feeling like actual friendship, she felt wary of him. Like she didn't know who he was anymore. And it bothered her that despite feeling this way, she couldn't look away from him; it bothered her that gazing into his mismatched eyes calmed her, eased her in a soothing way she simply couldn't resist.

The half-n-half hero frowned, looking just as familiar as she remembered him and yet just as strange.

"What issue?"

' _Ah_.' Momo thought listlessly, a soft, wistful smile tugging at her lips, not once breaking their delicate eye contact. ' _Of course he'd forgotten. That's how irrelevant it was to him…'_

Shoto's frown deepened at her expression. Her heart gave a rather tender throb. This boy would be the end of her.

"Weren't you listening Sho-chan? We solved it. _Together_." Shoto looked away from Momo, fixing his eldest brother with sharp glare, a complete 180 to the look he'd just been wearing. "In fact," the older Todoroki now looked over at her and, hesitantly, she looked back. "She was just leaving."

Ahh. Yes. She supposed she had overstayed her welcome. Momo stood, grabbing her bag and shouldered it. She bowed towards the older sibling, remembering her manners, silence ringing audibly as she began walking out.

There was a heart pounding moment where she passed Shoto in the doorway, their shoulders almost brushing, and for all the milliseconds she spent passing by, her blood thrummed in her ears as it rushed to her face, nerves spiking as she prepared herself for whatever he would say. Because he _would_ say something. There was no way he would let her leave like that, after having come all this way, after having sat through and endured his _brother…_

But Shoto said nothing, remaining entirely motionless as she left, and when she glanced back, reaching the front, he was still glaring into the waiting room.

Perhaps he had been right, the older brother – whose name, she realized, she still did not know. Maybe all of this had never been an issue to her peer. Maybe all this time, he had actually been burdened by her presence... Or maybe, her presence was not so much an annoyance as it was negligible.

A negligible hero, with negligible abilities.

Momo left the Todoroki estate, eyes burning, face flushed, and feeling like the world's biggest fool.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So you guys reaaally didn't like how I ended the last chapter, and so congrats! Your reviews actually got this out early, without any beta-ing whatsoever! Yay! I have been peer-pressured ;^; Plus, I figured before I went off for a mini-vacation, I'd get this posted, and put an end to the first half of the story - another yay for milestones!

Now, when I first started this story, I hadn't even known the practical part of the exam, or exams in general, existed as a proper, detailed arc. I had always known I would incorporate exams into this, seeing as you can't do highschool without 'em, but to see Horikoshi not only include tests, but developed these two little ones while doing so? It was a curve ball to say the least. Still, I managed the best I could. (In the end, all that matters is that you peeps like it :P)

I'm really nervous, since it's one of those chapters that Jil hasn't proof-read. I should probably wait until they're back from vacation, but I wanted to get this out before _I_ went away as well (not that I'll be gone long enough to notice ;P Plus then exams will start... :'( (luckily, I have several chapters written out in advance, so it shouldn't affect the upload schedule too much).

So you guys gotta lemme know how it was (as you always do, you beautiful people)

* * *

 **The Seventh Fault**

* * *

"Oww."

A sharp breath blew past her ear, and she suppressed a shudder.

"Sorry. Just- yeah like- just move over…"

Her foot lost its grip, coming down hard.

" _Ow._ That's my foot."

"Ugh, goddammit all-"

"Maybe if you'd just-"

An elbow to her stomach.

" _Oof_!"

"Sorry."

They stopped moving entirely for a second.

"….Well, this is awkward."

"Agreed."

- _5 hours earlier-_

The bus ride back from the practical exam to U.A was just as awkward and silent as it had been on their way there.

After the announcement of their team having finished first had echoed through some unidentifiable megaphone, a giant load had lifted, leaving the two candidates feeling lighter, relieved and rather at a loss of what to do. Todoroki seemed to still have a surplus of adrenaline running through his veins, and he hadn't once sat down or stopped pacing since the exam had ended.

Momo however, felt exhausted.

Unlike his usual aware and analytical self, Todoroki had come up to her several times, unable to read the clear signals she was giving to stay away. He kept talking rather uncharacteristically about something or other as well ( _'I think Aizawa went easy on us' 'I can't believe that worked. That was rather ingenious...' 'If you're hungry, there's a store just there' 'What do we do with all these created items? Can't you just un-create them?'_ ).

It had become so grating that in the end, Aizawa sent him away, to go melt the giant wave of ice he'd created. She had flashed her teacher a rather relieved look after that.

Her tears hadn't lasted too long, stopping almost as soon as she wiped the first of the dampness away; Momo had never been one to like showing weakness in front of others, since it only solidified any pre-judgements people tended to form when they first saw her. The only times she let her breakdown were in the private sanctuary of her room.

Although she'd stopped the tears rather soon, her face remained flushed, covered by an expression of deep-seated awe and disbelief.

The last few days had been just short of a nightmare. In over the span of just under a week she had managed to distort her and Todoroki's rather pleasant relationship into something no longer recognizable. Pushing Todoroki aside had been a huge mistake, she now realized; he was someone she could have turned to for advice throughout this whole ordeal, being the rather reassuring presence he was. And shoving him away had in turn grated on _his_ nerves, resulting in their first real fight, which left her feeling absolutely desolate.

On top of it all, like the proverbial cherry on top, her parents had started an enormous fight while Kyoka and Mina had been staying in her room.

Add to that the scarring event at the Todoroki household, and it had been quite a week.

All in all, Momo was not at her best when the morning of the practical arrived. Feeling less than confident was an understatement; so certain had she been that she would fail that just the thought of being the only person in their class having to take remakes had her emptying her stomach all night. Of course, she had eventually called Kyoka, who calmed her down enough for Momo to finally get some sleep.

The next day she found out that her practical partner would be Todoroki.

The awkwardness had been...palpable, to say the least. The two didn't say a word to each other. Todoroki himself looked irritatingly fresh and alert, which was the complete opposite of her sleep-deprived, meek-looking self. The whole situation had completely erased any hope of her passing this test. Being with the ice and fire prodigy meant comparison, and compared to him, any hopes she had of standing out were wiped clean.

In fact, until they boarded their different buses, Momo had stayed glued to Kyoka's side. But even Kyoka's continuous bashing and mocking on Todoroki didn't do much in raising her morale, knowing that no matter how badly her friend insulted him, it didn't change the reality that he was brilliant.

Still, the gesture was appreciated, and it was with a heavy heart that she parted from her friend.

"Just don't think too much alright?" Kyoka had told her, giving her a small tap on the back. "We'll talk about it long and hard after this shit is over."

Throughout the journey, Todoroki had remained standing, leaning against one of the support beams in the far corner, eyes glued to the passing scenery outside. Momo herself sat down, the silence suffocating, and the situation was only made worse by the idly curious glances from Aizawa sensei.

Things didn't get much better once the practical started. Though they were forced to focus due to the common goal of passing, the two of them were acting on completely different pages. It was like everything she knew about him had been reset, and for a hopeless, desolate moment, Momo felt like it just wouldn't work.

But something changed during the test, quite like how sometimes fists spoke louder than words; perhaps the rush of adrenaline and the threat of not passing had forced the two teens to acknowledge each other and listen. The relief of things seemingly fixing themselves, together with the realization that she had actually passed the test, potentially placing first, while running mostly on _her_ judgements, left her weak in the knees.

By the end of it, there seemed to be an unspoken acceptance between her and Todoroki that everything that had happened would be put aside. All the frustration, and anger and stress was now gone and instead were replaced by the embarrassment at having _cried_ (for less than five seconds), in front of both Todoroki and Aizawa.

Suddenly, all she wanted was to run into a hole and hide.

"Alright you two. You're free to your own devices. We'll next see you at the closing ceremony."

Aizawa had left them standing by the bus, having reached U.A. safely. And as the black-cladded figure disappeared around the corner, Momo became suddenly hyperaware of the reality that it was just her and Todoroki, alone, for the first time since all her problems had begun. And just as suddenly, she realized she really, _really_ didn't want to be around him.

"Yaoy-"

"I just remembered!" Momo yelped, cutting Todoroki off before he could say anything. "I had to ask Aizawa sensei something!"

And without a second thought, the creation artist walked inside the school building as fast as she could get away with, while still appearing nonchalant.

* * *

"Aizawa sensei?"

Class 1A's homeroom teacher instantly slammed the drawer he'd been surreptitiously reaching into shut. If anyone discovered his secret compartment for his sleeping bag, life would get a lot more tedious.

"Yes, Yaoyorozu. Can I help you?"

"I just wanted to ask about classes. Are there really none between now and the closing ceremony?"

"That's what I've been told."

"Alright..." The girl trailed off, ending what he assumed to be her query. However, she didn't move, eyes instead darting from different points on the floor, twiddling her thumbs. If he didn't know better, he'd have assumed she was fishing for something else to say. Although why anyone would want to extend their time in the dreary interior of the teacher's lounge was beyond him. The only reason _he_ was still there was because he was being paid to.

"...W...What about assignments? Do we have any for the summer?"

"They'll be discussed on the day of the closing ceremony."

"Ahh I see..." Again, the young teen trailed off and again, she didn't budge. "...Um, and when do you suppose the exam results will be out?"

Aizawa folded his arms. The girl was definitely up to something. He raised an eyebrow. "The closing ceremony."

Yaoyorozu let out a hollow chuckle. "R-Right, of course..."

"All of which I have already discussed in homeroom. As you should know, being vice president. Or were you not paying attention?"

"N-no! Certainly not the case, sensei, I assure you! _"_ She was so easily flustered, it was a wonder she made it as far as she had. "I-I mean, I was paying attention, I _was-"_

"Yaoyorozu." His sharp tone successfully shut off her pointless ramblings.

"Y-yes!"

"I didn't go easy on you." He watched her go rigid, and he figured he'd hit the nail on the head. "I was chosen as an examiner because I know how to do my job, and I know when a student is worthy of passing a hero exam. By doubting whether or not you deserve to pass is doubting my judgement. And you wouldn't want to insult me like that, would you, Miss Yaoyorozu?"

She flushed with guilt. "No Sensei, definitely not…"

"Good. Now, you've had a hard day." She blinked at the suddenly much gentler tone. He offered a small smile. "You deserve some rest. Go on, and do everything teenagers supposedly get up to at your age."

His student responded to his rather mild grin with her own shy one. "Yes Aizawa-sensei." She turned to pull open the door.

"Oh, and Yaoyorozu," The dark haired girl paused just as she'd stepped into the hallway, looking at him. "Excellent work today."

The brilliant smile splitting her face was one of those rare times Aizawa felt truly happy to have become a teacher. She bowed, and closed the door behind her. The teacher let out a complacent sigh, bending back down to his drawer. He supposed it would be a good hour or so before all of the teachers came back, during which he could catch some much-anticipated sleep.

The door slammed open yet again, and this time, the pro-hero of over a decade wasn't able to hide his jump of surprise.

"Sensei." Yaoyorozu was back, the door now held shut behind her, looking rather ruffled for wear. Aizawa leaned back in his chair, surreptitiously sliding the drawer shut again, fixing his best student with a rather sullen look. "Would the teacher's lounge happen to have a back exit?"

"No."

Her eyes scanned the room, as if his word wasn't good enough. Aizawa didn't care either way, so long as she left at some point. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

"Aizawa-sensei...I'm going to use the windows to leave, if that's okay with you?"

There was a pause where he stared at her, and she looked right back, not a trace of humor shadowing her face. He should probably ask why. Surely she was in some sort of trouble, and as a teacher, it was his duty to help. As a _hero_ , it was his duty to help.

A tag of his yellow sleeping bag was sticking out of the drawer.

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Without needing any further incentive, Yaoyorozu crossed the room. It occurred to him that telling a student to knock themselves out while jumping from the teacher's lounge window with only him in the vicinity probably wouldn't look too good on his record. Or on the security camera footage.

He paused.

Oh well. He would put his faith in her ability to not kill herself.

As Yaoyorozu began tampering with the window latch, Aizawa slid open the drawer again, finally pulling out his oh-so-soft sleeping bag, no longer caring who saw.

"Sensei."

Oh for Pete's sake.

"What is it, Todoroki?"

He had been with these students for an entire term now. Surely they realized how important sleep was, to the general public, and then to him. Sometimes, some things took precedent over others. And this time, his sleep took importance over these two rather baffling, tiresome kids.

"Is Yaoyorozu in here?"

Aizawa looked up at this, looking first at the newest arrival to the room, and then glanced over to where Yaoyorozu had last been. The window she had been tampering with was still closed, and Eraserhead's only deduction was that she had crouched in hiding behind the closest desks. Why she was hiding was beyond him, but he wasn't about to let all her effort of jumping out the window go to waste.

Besides, this way, peace would return faster, and as an upstanding, proficient hero, that was his duty.

"No."

Todoroki stared at him, and through the shared look, the teacher knew that the boy knew he was lying. With a small sigh, the young prodigy ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the tables Aizawa had looked at previously, and turned to leave.

Yes. He understood how precious sleep was.

"Alright. Thank you, Sensei." And with a small bow, he left. The boy had officially earned his respect.

As Aizawa continued setting up his bag, deciding to house it in the darkness of the photocopy room, Yaoyorozu popped back up, sliding open the pane of glass, and leapt out. Aizawa didn't bat an eye.

Teenagers.

* * *

"And then you _jumped out of the window._ " Kyoka repeated slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"It was the first floor, I don't see the big deal," Momo said, chin in the air.

Kyoka let out a groan-like sigh. This was getting ridiculous.

It was during the glowing aftermath of the practical test, while still high on the euphoria that came with the end of exams, with everyone excited at the prospect of summer break, that they decided they needed some well-deserved, simple, good old _fun_.

They were currently at a public pool, the one Kyoka usually spent her afternoons on lifeguard duty at. Just for that day, she had managed to persuade her superiors to allow a 'U.A. day'. Pre-hero students from every year were there, taking advantage of a pool without being ogled or gawked at by the ordinary masses. Kyoka herself had received exceptional praise and popularity, although Momo knew her friend's persuasion tactics had probably involved something more along the lines of double-dealing and dishonesty, with a little blackmail thrown in the mix.

Not too hero-like.

The two girls were sat on stools inside a small umbrella-covered drinks bar (young-adult-friendly, of course). Most of the class was there, bar Midoriya and Bakugo. Uraraka had seemed rather reluctant, but she came anyway, for Iida, and for the sake of politeness, which was something Kyoka didn't understand; people should do what they wanted, regardless of what the world thought.

The perfect example of this was Todoroki.

Although he was at a pool, the boy had come fully dressed, as if on his way to the local grocery store. It made sense, considering the ice prince had done nothing all day but try and talk to Momo, clearly not interested in swimming in the slightest. Kyoka had at first found the whole situation utterly hilarious. Every time the half-n-half hero would come anywhere near her, her friend would come up with some sort of excuse, usually running inside the small recreation center attached to the pool's locker room.

When Momo finally ran out of excuses, her next strategy was to jump into the pool, swimming to the center, and feign deafness as he'd call out to her. By this point, Kyoka had her phone out to film the whole thing. Seeing Todoroki, with meticulously controlled anger flashing over his usually impassive face, was enough to have her in stitches. Momo could say what she liked; the boy had it bad. After a few more tries, Todoroki had quickly realized that none of it was working.

In a burst of anger, he proceeded to freeze half the pool.

It only went downhill from there. What could only be described as a miniature riot began, with seniors lashing out at the stubborn first year, who began to defrost the pool, grumbling to himself, barely listening as he sullenly watched Momo scamper away in the ruckus. That was when her friend had joined her, under the only shade surrounding the pool, and the punk-rock girl stopped the video, satisfied she had enough material for later use.

"I can't say I don't understand where you're coming from, with the whole not wanting to talk to him and all." Kyoka said, and Momo enthusiastically nodded, glad her friend was giving her support. "But honestly, just look at him. Even I have to admit, he's trying _quite hard_ for a Todoroki, ya know?"

The creation hero let out a sigh. "I just…it isn't the same... I'm too... I wouldn't know what to say."

"From the looks of it, he wants to do most of the talking."

"It's just better if I keep my distance. I think it'd be better, for the both of us."

' _Then why do you look so sad?'_ Kyoka thought, looking back as Todoroki melted what was left of the ice. After the seniors were satisfied with the temperature of the pool, they let him go, and Todoroki started making his way through the crowd instantly, already having spotted them, and the music-loving girl had to give him props for his tenacity. Her friend didn't notice, watching the dregs of pulp swirl at the bottom of her glass as she spun it in hypnotic circles.

Kyoka let out a long sigh as the ice user reached the table, bracing herself for what was bound to come.

"Yaoyorozu."

Momo instantly jumped, glass slipping from her hand. Kyoka let out a yelp as it gave one solid bounce without shattering (any damage would be deducted from _her_ pay, after all. It was one of the reasons she was standing guard around the only area containing fragile objects. The fact that it offered the only shade was an added bonus) but Todoroki caught it before its fall had even a chance to begin.

Kyoka let out a sigh of relief.

"Yaoyorozu, just listen-"

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

Jiro's mind was still reeling from the potential broken glass and she wondered how her friend had not only moved past, but also come up with her next excuse. Todoroki, however, was having none of it.

"For the third time?" Was his unimpressed reply. Kyoka was still amazed at how many emotions one girl was managing to bring out of him.

" _Yes."_ Momo had the audacity to glare at him, and, to the earjack heroine's utter chagrin, Momo then turned to her. "Kyoka wanted to go, right?" The pointed look she gave couldn't be missed from a mile away.

"No." Like hell Kyoka was getting caught up in whatever the heck _this_ was.

"But you just said-"

"No."

"But I'm sure-"

"Nope."

"Are you _sure?_ "

"Positive."

" _Fine!"_

And with a huff, the vice president stomped away. Kyoka rolled her eyes, looking back at the boy in front of her, resting her chin lazily on her palm.

"This is ridiculous," he said to no one in particular. To her utter surprise, he was smiling lightly, still looking at the door their classmate had stormed through. Kyoka held in a gag (but allowed the eye-roll).

"You're telling me," she said snippily. "What did you do?"

He took a seat on the other side of the counter, fiddling with the glass he had just caught. "Nothing."

"That isn't a reaction someone has to 'nothing'."

"You asked what I did." His voice was low and heavy. "I did nothing."

Kyoka observed the boy thoughtfully. His blank, impassive look was back in place, and she realized it was just around Momo that the boy lost that control. He'd probably realized it too, on some level, and for someone like Todoroki, who took immense pride in such things, to lose such intricate discipline was probably quite terrifying. And on some level, Kyoka decided, she could understand him.

"What are you planning on telling her?" she asked, wondering if she wasn't pushing it.

He gave a scoff. "I have to get her to _listen_ first."

Kyoka felt a smirk spread, as a scheme popped up before she could stop herself. It was what she did best, after all. And for this particular ploy, she'd need assistance.

"Oy! Sparky!"

Next to her, she heard Todoroki groan.

* * *

"What is it, Kyoka?"

They had reached a small room, full of cabinets, probably meant for storage. Momo looked inside, utterly nonplussed. "I don't see anything worth anything in here. Honestly-"

"Just shut up and come over here." Jiro had opened the door of a narrow closet. It was a strange thing, hardly more than a foot deep, and almost two feet wide, but being easily almost 6 feet tall, the whole thing looked rather impractical. But other than its dimensions, it still looked utterly unimportant, and Momo made that clear by turning to her friend and raising an all-expressive eyebrow.

Kyoka simply opened the door and motioned inside, expression coy. "There's going to be something inside only you can fix." She said, rather cryptically. Sighing, Momo shrugged, and stepped inside, examining the corners for faults, but just as she started, the door slammed shut ending with a suspicious _click_.

"W-w- Hold on- Kyoka?!" Momo tried shoving the door open, but it wouldn't budge. "Kyoka, open the door!"

"Oh man, it seems to be stuck!" her friend's voice sounded through the thin closet walls, but she sounded rather scripted, as well as seemingly unaffected by the turn of events. "Let me get some muscle."

"No, no no!" Momo yelled, hearing the door of the room open and close. "Don't you dare leave me here! _Kyoka_!" She was leaning over against the door, and the door seemed to give way, ever so slightly. She blinked, then leaned in harder, and then she felt it; the entire cabinet tilted forwards. In blind panic, the creation heroine realized the whole thing was falling over and instantly she slammed her entire weight against the back wall, just in time. The box rocked back into place.

The stupid contraption was rickety. Was that the problem Jiro had been talking about?

Perhaps.

Regardless, Momo was currently in no mood to be fixing anything. Her hand began to glow, creating a mallet. Who needed friends? She'd get herself out the old fashioned way. Raising the hammer, she readied herself to slam the door off its hinges when she heard a click, and then the creak of the door.

"Here, it happened just over there."

That was Kyoka's voice.

Before she was able to give her friend a piece of her mind, the closet door swung open, and Todoroki's head appeared. Momo had never before felt two starkly opposite emotions exist simultaneously in her mind; extreme relief, knowing she wouldn't be trapped in here forever, left to rot and decay; and the frantic urge to run. Relief won out in the end; independence be damned, being locked in a small space was _not_ on her bucket list.

Todoroki gave her a look she realized she'd only ever seen him direct at her; the look which read 'why is it always you?' "How did you get yourself locked in here, Yaoyorozu?" he asked, and turned to give, in all likelihood Jiro behind him, a rather unimpressed look.

"Do you really want to be giving me lip while I'm holding a mallet?" she asked huffily as he looked back.

Before he had a chance to reply, he was suddenly shoved inside the already cramped space. His eyes flashed dangerously at the offending person, pierces of grey and icy blue - details she only saw because he was all too close to her, just before the door slammed shut and they were thrown into darkness.

"We'll be back in 30-40 minutes!" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kaminari chirped loudly, just before a click – which she realized was a freaking _lock_ – sounded again. Momo then heard the outside room's door snap shut as well, and the two of them were left in the quiet darkness.

"This is _not_ what I had in mind," she heard Todoroki mutter.

Momo blinked, running down the situation in her head.

She was currently locked, in a storage closet, with _Todoroki_ , courtesy of her 'friends' Jiro and Kaminari. Locked with Todoroki, in a _cramped_ storage closet with hardly half a foot of moving space, while in her _swimsuit._ She had thrown on a thin top over her torso, which she was incredibly grateful for, but her long legs were bare. Momo was feeling hotter by the minute, and whether that was due to the body heat he was giving off or her own, she couldn't tell. What she _did_ know was that she wasn't about to spend the next half hour or so trapped like a sardine in a glorified tin can.

Apparently, Todoroki was thinking along the same lines, giving a well-contained (pun not intended) growl and a violent kick to the door, the closet giving a dangerous wobble in response. Encouraged, he leaned back, readying himself to charge against the doors.

"No, don't! Todoroki, the closet's unstable, it'll-"

Too late.

Like clockwork, the closet tilted over, and in the chaos she lost her balance, and dropped her hammer in surprise, which landed with a thud onto her foot. She howled in pain. The closet fell over completely, her stomach pushing up uncomfortably against her diaphragm. The whole mass fell with a resonating thud, Momo landing on top of Todoroki, successfully knocking the air out of his lungs with an ' _oof_!'.

"Sorry," she said sincerely. "Just- yeah like- just move over…" She tried to get off of him, when she realized her feet had no real grip and she kicked down.

" _Ow._ That's my foot."

"Ugh goddammit it all,"

"Maybe if you'd just-" she slipped, landing somewhere between his legs. He inhaled sharply as she effectively kneed him, and reflexively, he elbowed her away, his clenched fist connecting with her face. She grunted, and in the action of trying to slap his arm away, lost her balance and fell face first into his armpit.

And that was how they reached their current situation, her lying on top on him of him like some low-budget blanket. Her arms lay sandwiched between their torsos, and her legs lay tangled with his. Momo had to crane her neck at an odd angle to avoid resting her face on his chest, unable to move her hands, having to rely purely on her rather weak neck muscles. Just thinking of where her head would go when her muscles inevitably grew tired caused the temperature inside the space to rise a few degrees.

Throughout this, Todoroki lay frozen still, arms and legs as far apart as he could possibly have them go, obviously attempting not to touch her, breathing laboriously, still winded. Each exhale shuddered heavily as he tried to mentally force the pain away.

"Well, this is awkward."

"Agreed." He sounded like someone was strangling him. There was a silence. Then, "I'm going to kill them." Todoroki growled.

"No, simply killing is too easy," Momo hissed. "They need to suffer."

"Freezing off their skin?" he asked.

"Plucking out their eyeballs."

"Have them walk on burning coal."

"Better yet, melt down this stupid closet and pour it over their heads."

"Freezing off their skin would probably be merciful after that," he admitted, and she chuckled, some of the tension ebbing away. There was a moment or two of silence, and then he spoke up again. "I could try burning a hole through."

"That wouldn't work, it's made of metal. We'd fry before you get anything done. What about you freeze the wall and we smash it open with the hammer?"

"My right hand is trapped…" he trailed off, and she realized she was basically using his arm as a pillow.

"Alright, hang on," she said. Tentatively, she leaned her arm to the other side of his torso, and shifted her weight – carefully – onto the leg currently resting between his. She moved as delicately as she could in the cramped space, off of his arm. "How about now?" she breathed out heavily.

He didn't reply, a huff being her only response, and she instantly realized why. His exhale had puffed a warm blast of breath over her face, and she realized they were basically nose to nose just then. She stopped breathing entirely, head shooting up so fast in an attempt to create some space between them she hit the back wall.

Doubling over in pain, she rolled back, suddenly grateful for the current darkness of the closet. Although, if they weren't in the closet to begin with, she wouldn't be in this mess.

"You okay?" he offered.

" _Todoroki_." Momo said impatiently urging him to hurry up. He moved his head to the side.

"Not yet."

"What," she blinked her eyes open. There was no way she had heard right. "Todoroki, I can't breathe."

His hand now free, he raised it to the roof above their heads, and the sound of crunching glass echoed in the confined space, a chilled draft of air cooling down the warmed interior. Then, without warning, Todoroki punched a hole straight through the metal, having weakened it with a coating of ice. So there was no need for a hammer then… Momo blinked against the sudden source of light, breathable oxygen now wafting through their little space.

"How about now?" He had to be joking. Though his tone somehow made her doubt that.

"Todoroki, it's cramped."

"Then _listen to me,_ and we can leave." Her gaze moved back to his, and in the trickling brightness she could now make out his eyes, looking the same color in the dim lighting, staring collectedly back - she was so used to his mismatched gaze that it was like she was looking at someone else. His breath felt cool against her skin, and she dimly realized it was probably due to the after-effects of using his quirk. He probably took her silence as answer that she'd listen. "Why are you avoiding me?"

"Huh?" she blinked at the question.

"You're angry." It was a statement, as calmly presented as if he was demonstrating how weather changes occurred. "I understand that. But as far as I'm aware, your idea of anger is to lash out, not hide."

Momo was at a loss. "What?"

He was no longer looking at her, his eyes now absently focused somewhere off to her right, muttering to himself. Kind of reminding her of Midoriya, actually. "Not physically or destructively, but in a more ambiguous way. It took me a while, but I'm fairly confident in my ability to recognize it now." He had just confessed to understanding the way her mind worked in the most clandestine and aloof way possible, as if it were common sense. "But this is something else. Am I correct in thinking that you're angry?"

"Todoroki, I want to get out of here."

"So I'm right, then."

" _No._ I'm not mad. Now let me _out_."

"Well if it isn't anger, what is it?"

"Todoroki, I'm serious-"

"Maybe something more-"

"Let me out, Todoroki."

"Hatred as well perhaps?"

"No-"

"But at whom?"

"Todo-"

"Me?"

"I was embarrassed, okay?" she snapped out. He finally looked back at her, the whites of his eyes vivid in the darkness. His expression was so genuinely surprised just then, so normally, humanly surprised that she felt her throat clamp up, and suddenly, she was too near him, too vulnerable, and she just wanted to _leave._ "Now let me _out."_

There was a silence. "Embarrassed?"

Yeah, see, _this_ was what she had been avoiding him. "I don't want to say it again, Todoroki,-"

"Why would you be embarrassed? Of what?"

"If you don't let me out, right now, I'll scream."

The ringing silence following that statement would have been utterly hilarious in any other situation were the both of them not currently engaged in an intense stare-down, equally stubborn and both intent of getting what they wanted. Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing."

"Are you willing to test that theory?"

"You'll just run away again." As if in response, Momo opened her mouth, inhaling sharply and deeply. "Al _right!_ Enough," He finally snapped. Ignoring the satisfied smirk spreading across her face, he reached up, once again, and she watched his quirk at work, the frost coating over the top of the closet like some strange, beautiful fungus. "Hammer."

With a start, she realized that was directed at her. Her hand glowed, and she handed over the freshly created tool over to him (her earlier mallet was too far out of reach), but before he took it, Todoroki sent her a sharp look. "Do I have your word you'll stay?"

Momo didn't understand why it was so imperative that they discuss this, but if it meant not being pressed up against him… "Sure."

It was blatantly obvious by the look he gave her that he didn't believe her for a second. Still, he took the hammer from her with a yielding huff. No sooner had the final shard been hacked away than Momo immediately began wiggling out of the hole, like some sort of deformed insect from a cocoon. She took a second to adjust to being back in the open (sort of), blinking against the sudden blast of light, breathing in the non-chlorinated air, stumbling on numb legs, before making a beeline for the door.

Her hand was inches from the knob when a wave of ice crusted it over, cutting it off from her reach.

"Now you run from your promises, too?"

The room gave Todoroki's voice a light echo, a stark change from the intimate way his deep tenure had rumbled against her in the closet. It made him sound quite intimidating, and Momo followed the trail of ice back, knowing before she saw it that it would lead to where Todoroki's palm was pressed against the linoleum floor. He got up slowly, leaning heavily on his knees like someone five times his senior, as if his joints had been rusted over. That, however, didn't dull the burning energy in his sharp gaze as his eyes locked with her own. He didn't move, standing to his full height, choosing to just look at her.

For a while, they just stood there, under the artificial, fluorescent lights.

Momo felt the now familiar drop of her stomach again. It had been happening around Todoroki for a while now; the feeling of inferiority, that feeling that maybe she had been putting far more energy into … whatever this was; the realization that she must look so utterly pathetic in his eyes. And then, as if to prove all that, she had _cried…_

But it wasn't her fault, when Todoroki kept doing things like giving her the look he was giving her just then. A look like he wanted so badly to help, like the idea of not fixing things would do worse things than just ruin his mood for a day. When he showed that side of himself, she wanted to do the same. She wanted to care, and she wanted to give everything she had, just as she would with Jiro, or Ashido.

She wanted to be his friend.

Todoroki gave a small, extended sigh. He began walking towards the door, and then, to her confusion, began to melt the icy coating.

"I apologize," he said, sensing her surprise. "I should have realized I can't force you into doing anything you weren't comfortable with. It's just," he leaned into the door, pressing his palm against the wall of ice with more force than was probably necessary, sizzles of steam erupting wherever his skin touched.

"It's just… I asked my mother about it, and she thought it would be best to talk to you directly, on my way back home. She said there were probably a lot of misunderstandings that had arisen, and the only way to get past it was to talk it out." His grey eye flickered over to her for just a second before returning back to the task at hand, a rather vulnerable and wary expression on his face. "Of course, I'll be the first to admit that isn't my strongest suit, so I may have gone a bit …overboard."

Momo felt a smile tugging at her lips, despite herself, thinking back to the frozen pool. "Maybe just a little…" she agreed softly, and he let the corners of his lips flicker up for a moment.

This was what she meant. If it was truly only her contributing to their strange relationship, then why did he do things like get advice from his mother, or try seeking her out to smooth things over or search for the right words to explain himself? Surely he wouldn't look like he cared just as much if he didn't. Surely he wouldn't be wearing _that_ expression on his face. No one was that good an actor.

The ice had melted away completely, the heat used on it so intense the ice had sublimated directly into vapor, and the only indication that the door had only moments before been a block of ice was the slightly darkened, damp wood.

"I'm sorry."

Momo felt her breath catch. Wait, _he_ was apologizing? He turned to her, hands now buried in his pockets. He was looking straight at her. "I was childish, and immature, and petty." His chest swelled as he inhaled deeply, straightening to his full height as he did so, not once breaking eye contact. "And I'm sorry."

He kept on doing things like _this._

Todoroki moved away from the door, indicating she could now leave, but that was currently the last thing on her mind. She was sure now; people who didn't care didn't apologize. His brother had been _wrong._

"That's not fair," she whispered, staring at the floor.

"What isn't?"

"You apologizing… when it should be me…"

Suddenly, Momo felt drained. She leaned against the wall, and then slid down to the floor, drawing her legs under her body. In the following silence, Todoroki took a few steps forward, until he was only a few feet away, and then, after only a brief pause, sat down in one fluid motion on the patch of floor in front of her. He looked at her expectantly. She could feel it on her skin. But she said nothing more.

"Why are you embarrassed?"

Momo sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, raising her eyes to the tiled ceiling above them. She chewed her bottom lip, wondering how exactly to go about saying the root of it all was because she felt she cared _too much._ That wasn't even something she herself fully understood, let alone trying to explain it to someone else.

"The other day, when I went to your house, I-"

She paused suddenly as he raised his hand, signaling for her to stop talking. "Stop. There's two things I want to say about that. First, I'm sorry for my behavior. I was still angry, and-"

"I knew it!" she said, and he blinked at her. She tried suppressing her flush. "Sorry, carry on."

His brows furrowed, but he obliged. "And because of that, you had to endure my eldest brother, which leads me to the second point – he's a complete asshole. Complete _trash_ of a person and anything he said to you, I want you to delete from your memory."

Momo was thrown by how viciously Todoroki went on about his brother. She had never known him to show animosity to anyone, especially so colorfully, and she was quite speechless.

"Oh…" was all she said. Still, a small part, deep down, flickered in joy that he didn't associate with…that man. To be honest, she had been quite thrown, and doubts about Todoroki Shoto as a character had started to corrupt her thoughts. But if what he was saying was true, then anything that man had said could be discarded. And by everything… "But some of the things he said made sense."

"They probably did," he agreed, to her surprise. A dark shadow had passed over his eyes, and even though he was still looking at her, it was like he was miles away. "It's what he does best. He eats the subconscious, digs out your deepest fears…" His eyes were back in focus. "That's why you have to forget any of that ever happened."

Momo paused. "…But what if-"

"Forget it."

"But-"

"Yaoyorozu." The light in his eyes was piercing, and they bored into hers. " _Forget it."_

Mutely, she nodded. For a moment she recalled everything, sitting in that grand house, in the middle of that aesthetic room, in front of that demon of a man, feeling suffocated and weak. And then she remembered how Shoto had come later, after the damage was done, and she remembered how he had barely glanced her way…

"You have something else to say."

Todoroki said it as a statement, and her head snapped up. Her right hand rubbed up and down, from her shoulder down to her elbow, not entirely sure how to bring it up. Although she knew if she didn't get a straight answer, she'd always have that doubt lying in the back of her mind.

But again, Todoroki seemed to see exactly what she was thinking, and she wondered when he had gotten so good at reading her. "You ask whatever it is you have to, and in return, I ask something as well. And then we close the matter for good. Sound fair?"

Momo offered him a small grin. "Yeah."

Todoroki then motioned for her to continue. Her eyes dropped to watch as she pulled at a stray string sticking out of the end of her sleeve, unable to look at him as she talked. "I came all the way to apologize that day. I knew you were mad but…" the volume of her voice dropped with each word, and she moved her fidgety hands from the top of her knees into her lap, curling up into herself even more. "You could have at least heard me out." Her voice was almost nonexistent as she ended.

He sighed. "Enma blindsided me – my brother," he clarified at her confused stare. "I couldn't do anything to give him even an inkling of what was happening. If you knew him like I did, you'd understand. I don't have a better explanation."

Momo felt herself nod. He was right; that wasn't satisfying enough for her to forgive him entirely. But he continued. "Did you not receive my message yesterday?"

"No," she shot him a confused look. "I've had my phone off for the exams." She hadn't checked her phone for at least a few days; it was standard procedure before any exam. Any calls she had to make were made through landline. "I have it with me now, only because Kyoka said she didn't want to wait alone, but we arrived at the same time and I haven't checked it yet. Should I go get it? It's in my bag-"

He huffed at her sudden torrent of explanations and pulled out his phone, holding it up for her to read. He'd sent her a message yesterday evening.

' _Forget anything my brother said to you.  
Talk later.  
Tonight, just focus on the exam.'_

Momo felt her eyebrows rise above widened eyes. The intensity of her ego hit her. Todoroki had been angry too - that much was obvious. But he'd instantly thrown that aside for the sake of giving her peace of mind; as soon as the issue had grown bigger than just the two of them, he stopped. He was the bigger person, and it hit her that she had so much more to grow as a person.

For what felt like the first time that day, Momo looked him dead in the eyes.

"I'm sorry."

The casual way he waved her off made her want to smile. She'd missed him more than she had even realized.

"My question now." Momo could have rolled her eyes. He almost sounded _excited._ "You told me you didn't want to teach, and yet you taught an entire class hardly a day later. Why did you lie?" Yeesh. He didn't cushion that blow in the slightest. "Did I do something wrong?"

"What? No, not at all." She sighed. "That's why I came over to your house; to explain. You need to understand something. Todoroki, you're intelligent." His eyes flashed at the praise, though the rest of his face remained impassive. "Frustratingly so, especially for someone like me who studies many times more than you. And for you to understand everything so quickly, with hardly any help at all from me – it made me feel… inferior."

"That's ridiculous," he snorted.

"Maybe. But that's what it felt like." There was a pause. "It's so much easier teaching people who actually _need_ your help, you know?"

There was a silence where he mulled over her words. "So basically," he said finally. "You'd have rather I feigned stupidity and _actually_ use up your time than understand things instantly and leave you alone."

"Exactly!"

He gave her that incredulous look again, and for a moment, Momo felt a flush of embarrassment cloud her face. Before he could say anything though, to her relief, the door swung open.

"So, everything sorted?"

The pair looked up to see a beaming Kaminari, flashing a thousand watt grin in their direction. Momo noticed Todoroki's face instantly wipe clear, and a part of her swelled in pride at the knowledge that she was the only one he let his guard drop around.

"Shove aside, Sparkles." It was Momo's turn to facepalm as her friend elbowed past the blond to enter the room. "Of course everything worke- _what did you guys do?!"_ Her voice gained a high pitch shriek as she scanned the room, seeing the still-frozen trail of ice and the knocked over closet with a hole blasted through the roof.

"You little punk!" The little girl stomped over to the only one who could be responsible for the damage. "This is going to come out of _my pay!"_

Todoroki blinked coolly back at her. "It was your idea."

Jiro visibly seethed, her fists shaking at her sides. Not really understanding how Todoroki was involved but sensing the danger of the rapidly deteriorating situation, Momo quickly walked over and placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Kyoka, you're forgetting," she pointed at herself once her friend had snapped her glowering eyes in her direction. "Quirk of creation?"

As Jiro's eyes widened in glorious realization, Todoroki stood up, dusting himself off lightly. "I'll see you later then," he said to no one in particular, and began walking out the door.

"Just a second dude, we're having a barbecue for dinner, just us peeps of 1A. Why not stay for that?" Kaminari asked with a friendly smile.

"Why? Do you have no one else to light the fire?" Jiro burst out laughing at Todoroki's response. Momo just rolled her eyes, waiting for the boys to leave so she could get to creating the larger-than-her-usual-creation object, knowing that the half-n-half hero was being perfectly sincere in his confusion.

"No, man, 'course we can light the fire! C'mon dude, you didn't even take a swim around the pool."

"Oh," Todoroki seemed to realize there was no malice behind the blonde's offer. "Thanks for the offer, but I need to be getting home. This was just a detour."

Jiro leaned over towards the taller girl. "That means the only reason he came here at all was to talk to you," she murmured teasingly, but Momo wasn't listening, remembering a sudden discrepancy in his words. He said he had talked to his mother just before coming here, and yet only now he was on his way home?

Todoroki left after a final nod to Kaminari.

"Kyoka, I'll be right back-" But before she could take a step, the bob cut girl grabbed her arm.

"Oh no you don't. You clean up this mess, or I'll be getting _you_ to pay for all this."

"But-"

Kyoka's glare cut off anything she was going to say.

* * *

' _It actually wasn't that bad, considering Kaminari made it using two-year-old coal.'_

' _The picture doesn't match the description.'_

' _You're just jealous because you missed it.'_

' _Hardly.'_

It was later in the evening, and Momo was currently on the bus home.

While waiting for the barbecue to cook, Momo had gone to her phone to check her history. Sure enough, Todoroki's message lay on the top, a large, glaringly obvious 'unread' mark lighting it up. She'd been staring at it guiltily when Kyoka had snuck up on her from behind and plucked it straight out of her hands.

"Why the hell is his number saved as _'Shoto'_?!" She asked, cackling rather loudly.

Momo felt a heavy blush burn at her cheeks. "I don't know, that's how he saved it!" she cried, swiping wildly in an attempt to grab her phone, but hit air. "Give it _back!_ "

Kyoka nimbly avoided her. "And you were fine with it?" she laughed loudly. "So you just went around texting him, while staring longingly- _"_

The flush was now permanently ingrained on her skin, she was sure, as she began giving chase to her irritating friend. "I _haven't_ texted him properly! Ever!"

"Well time to fix _that._ " Kyoka lifted the phone, running backwards. "Dear Shoto,"

" _Kyouka-"_

"I miss youu~ Wish you were here~ xoxoxo- _WOAH!_ " Kyoka's spree of terror was effectively ended as Kaminari picked her up, easily throwing her over his shoulder. Momo doubled over, catching her breath. There resulted in a little squabble between the two, and Momo swore she almost had a heart attack at one point as the two teetered dangerously close to the pool edge. However, instead of pounding the blond to a pulp as one would expect, Kyoka instead leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

There was a silence where Momo swore she could feel impending doom, but before she had a chance to ask, both had begun snickering with each other and then, after shooting Momo knowing smirks, they proceeded to take picture after picture of everything in sight. Momo had sighed, letting them have their seemingly harmless fun, and it wasn't until well after everyone had eaten, lounged about in the pool for a while longer and headed home that her phone vibrated and she finally saw that the two nosy meddlers had been sending the photos to Todoroki.

The pictures had mostly been random blurry shots of everyone – mostly food – but Todoroki had selectively ignored them, something Momo was eternally grateful for, choosing only to comment on the very last one; a rather wonky shot of the slightly burnt pieces of chicken Kaminari, Kirishima and Sero had been slaving over.

' _I think the chlorine has caused you to forget what quality food looks like.  
Allow me to refresh your memory.'_

Todoroki then proceeded to send over an image of a modestly large dining table lined with rows upon rows of concentric rings of what had to be around 50 different flavors of sushi, each one looking more lavish and extravagant than the last. It took Momo a good two minutes of studying the picture, feeling hungry despite having a full stomach of food, before she realized he was probably expecting a reply.

' _Please don't tell me_ you _made these?'_ If Todoroki could _cook_ on top of everything else…

' _No, definitely not.'_ Momo breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart couldn't take it if his arsenal of talents grew any larger. Her phone buzzed as he elaborated.

' _My sister made them.  
She's trying to persuade my father to sponsor her for her new gourmet menu.  
_ _He's been refusing, so she's been making such dishes for almost a week now to try and convince him she's worth it.'_

Momo wondered what that must be like, trying to persuade a father like Endeavor to pursue a profession that wasn't heroism. From the little she had been exposed to, she was certain it was more than frowned upon in the Todoroki household. Suddenly, she realized Fuyumi had more courage than anyone probably gave her credit for.

' _She's pretty brave.'_

' _I think she's lost her mind.'_

She grinned lightly at his message, getting up as the bus stopped, her cue to get off. Once she had safely donned the sidewalk and was on the walk home, she pulled out her phone as it buzzed again.

' _Nee-chan's asking how it looks.'_

Momo smiled, a strange warmth flooding her heart. There was a certain intimacy in texting someone, she realized. It was like she was there. She could imagine him, homely little Shoto, helping out his only sister, leaning up against the counter, while holding small, peaceful snippets of conversation in between replying to her.

' _Tell her it looks incredible. 5/5'_

A pause. Then, _'She's glad.'_ Momo smiled, wondering how Fuyumi felt at having her baby brother talking to a girl.

 _'How does Kaminari feel about his petty attempt now?'_

Why he brought up the blond now was strange to her, and so she asked him.

' _I'm assuming it was him who sent it. Jiro was my other guess, but she's in the bbq pic.  
_ _It obviously wasn't you – the angles were all wrong for that, not to mention you simply aren't the type.  
_ _Plus there was too much Jiro.'_

His message stunned her. Once she had gotten over the fact that _Todoroki_ had assumed it was Kaminari based on the fact that there was a lot of _Kyoka_ (something she hadn't even realized, too worried about her own swimsuit clad images) and what that meant, she proceeded to thank the stars above for his intelligence, and somehow figuring out that embarrassing tirade hadn't been her.

' _I'm almost home, so Kaminari's not around.'_

' _Shame.'_

Her friend's name reminded her of something however. ' _Todoroki, why did you save your first name on my phone?'_

' _Oh, did I?...'_ he didn't reply for a while, and she wondered if she'd embarrassed him. She mentally snorted at the idea. _'Makes sense. I usually do that. I don't want my father's name to be my identity.  
I didn't choose Todoroki as my hero name either.'_

Momo remembered that; using his first name had been somewhat of a controversial topic in their class for a while. It was so rare that someone flaunt their identity so openly, although he clearly didn't mind. Even his costume didn't bother masking him in the slightest. Although some may think of it as arrogant (as if he were so strong, so infallible, it didn't matter if the world knew exactly who he was), and while that may partially be the case, Momo felt there was a deeper psychology underlying these two facts, not the least of which that it was a cry for the world to see him as his own person.

Todoroki was such a break from the norm. Something as personal as a first name was for him more of a symbol of who he was as a person rather than a gesture of intimacy. It almost made her think that he barely saw himself as it was, and anybody using his first name was more a victory in somebody having noticed him at all, rather than a person being close.

' _So would you prefer people calling you Shoto in real life?  
Just say the word…'_

' _It doesn't bother me'_

She frowned, wondering just how much he was keeping pent up inside. _  
'If you hate that name, you should tell people.  
It's your right to have people call you what you want.'_

' _I don't hate it, Yaoyorozu, I simply don't care.  
I'm used to it.  
I probably wouldn't even notice if you started using Shoto.  
It's just how I write things down on paper.  
When you write something down, it feels more permanent. When they look me up, I want __**my**_ _name to be there, not my father's.  
That's all there is to it.'_

Momo processed this, wondering if she should let it go. ' _It really isn't too much of an issue.'_

' _No, it's not.  
But think of it this way; would you want to call me Shoto?  
Or is Todoroki simpler?'_

Momo almost instantly replied she'd call him Shoto, but realized he probably wanted sincerity. He'd probably be able to tell whether or not she was telling the truth anyway - hell he probably already knew what her answer would be.

' _Well, I guess I'm used to Todoroki…'_

' _That's all there is to it.'_

She frowned in thought, opening the front door, having finally reached home. Was this okay? She wondered if she should push it any more, but any response was cut across as she stepped through the foyer of the house.

"Momo, why were you out so late?"

Her mother. Momo sighed, mood immediately dropping as she pocketed her phone. Shoto would have to take a backseat for a few. "I told you, Kyoka held a pool party."

"You said you'd be back by 6. It's now 8."

"She's home now though, Satomi."

Momo blinked in amazement. Seeing her father standing in the kitchen was such a rare sight, and he looked so out of place, sitting on her usual spot by the basket of fruit on the kitchen island. Her mother rounded on him, and he immediately sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses, looking older than his years. " _You_ do not get to have any input. This is the first time in years you've probably even seen her walk in through the front door."

Another fight. This had become a regular occurrence, but the ache of her heart stung just as bad each time. One or two arguments every now and then was normal; healthy even. But the rate at which they'd been going at each other was alarming. Her mother was beginning to sound obsessive, almost slightly deranged, and she had to commend her father's patience, for Momo didn't have it.

Momo walked past, hoping to somehow get away from this unscathed.

"Momo." Her mother had followed her out into the hallway. "Your father said you told him to get you chocolates."

"What?"

"I knew it," her mother snapped, immediately whipping around to lash out at her husband, who had now shot Momo a look of utter helplessness, like she'd stabbed him in the back.

"Sweetheart," it was almost as if he was cajoling her, and Momo wanted to yell at him to stop. Her mother practically lived off of it. "Remember in the lab-"

"Don't you force ideas when they don't exist!"

"No, no, I remember," Momo quickly stepped in, not able to handle it when her defenseless father was so clearly out of his depth. "It was just such a random question... I did tell him; I said whenever he's next out-"

" _What?!"_ Her mother's exclamation had her reeling back as she rounded on Momo _,_ eyes livid. "Have you no sense of thought? You just gave him a permanent ticket, Momo! He can now claim he was out for _your_ ridiculous sweet tooth! When he's actually having a rendezvous with some _flounce_."

"Satomi!" her father stood tall, and Momo wondered if she was right in thinking he was so out of his depth. " _Do not_ involve our _daughter_ in your petty fears."

"Hah! I have never heard such hypocrisy! _You're_ the coward who had to use her as an excuse!"

"It _wasn't_ an excuse-!"

" _Stop it!"_ Momo found herself yelling, and both adults turned to her. She felt herself tremble, although her eyes remained dry. " _Enough._ Every day it's the same story. If you've had enough of each other, _fine!_ Deal with it like _adults,_ instead of bickering like children. I don't want to hear it!"

"Momo-"

" _Nothing_! Either make up, or don't. But don't involve me."

" _Momo-"_

"Goodnight."

And she left with a whip of her hair.

It was only after slamming her door shut and leaning against it did the energy suddenly leave her entirely. Sound returned to her ears. The thud of her heart seemed incredibly loud, the thrill of each beat physically palpable against her rib cage. And then, as the rush of blood stemmed from her ears, she realized what she'd just said. Had she sentenced the end of this family with her own lips? Perhaps her harsh words would help them wake up? Like ripping off a band-aid, the painful way was the way to do it.

Then she remembered the phone in her pocket, and her half-finished conversation with Todoroki. She stared at the black lock screen, mind at a complete blank as to what to do. She was curiously numb just then. Instead of feeling like the world had fallen apart, she felt absolutely nothing. In fact, she felt just fine.

Swallowing thickly, she switched her phone back on.

' _W_ _eird.'  
My parents are fighting.'_  
He didn't reply immediately. He was probably wondering if she had lost her mind in the fifteen minutes she had grown quiet for. Or maybe he'd just left.  
 _'Inside_ _the house.'_

'… _as opposed to outside?'_

Momo almost laughed at Todoroki's response.

' _My dad has a lab outside.  
He doesn't really ever come into the house.'_

' _So what makes today special? He couldn't have come just to start a fight.'_

' _Apparently he bought me chocolates. Probably wanted to hand-deliver them.'_

'… _for being a phenomenal daughter?'_

Momo rolled her eyes, drawing her knees up and rested her chin on them, still leaning up against the door. She didn't want to move. The only thing she felt like doing just then was mindlessly talk to the boy on the other side of the screen.  
 _'Although that's definitely a good enough reason; no.  
Remember how you told me to confront him? Last time they fought?'_

' _Yeah…'_

' _Apparently he'd gone out to buy chocolates, to satisfy a craving.'_

' _?'_

Todoroki's confusion was understandable. She'd barely told him anything at all about what had happened. Perhaps she could delve a little deeper…

' _My father rarely leaves the office right?  
So when he left that day, my mother was worried.  
But it turns out he'd only gone to get chocolates.'_

' _Hmm'_

' _So I told him to buy me some next time.'_

' _Let me guess. Your mother wasn't too happy with either of you when she found out.'  
_ Momo blinked at the screen.

' _Nail on the head_ '

' _I think I got the gist of what it is that's going on.  
Yaoyorozu, while I assure you this will remain between us, I don't think this is a topic you should be discussing with non-family members.'_

Momo felt her heart drop and simultaneously race. What did this mean; had he figured it out? When all she'd talk about were _chocolates?_ Maybe he misunderstood? Regardless, he had basically told her he didn't want to listen to her problems. Perhaps this wasn't the sort of thing one discussed with people? Was she complaining too much? Was she overreacting?

' _You're not a burden, Yaoyorozu.'_ His response hit home, and she swallowed with some difficulty against the growing knot in her throat. _'You can trust me, and I'm willing to help. Family ordeals can be…difficult, to say the least.  
I'm just saying to be careful. Even with me.  
You can never be too careful.'_

He was trying to be nice. He'd probably sensed that she was doubting herself, and wanted to calm her down. The damage was done though. She had crossed a line she probably shouldn't have, and now she was double thinking everything.

It had been a few minutes, and he had hadn't said anything else. She'd probably scared him off with her silence. Momo knocked her head back against the wood of the door, relishing in the light thuds against her growing headache. If only she could stay like this forever, with the sounds of the world dulled, cocooned in her own thoughts…

Her phone buzzed dully in her hand. She reluctantly checked her screen, expecting some sort of selfless consolation message from him. It wasn't.

' _Can you see Tipocah district from your window?'_ She didn't feel like replying to him, but he continued anyway. _  
'If so, look at the skies above it.'_

Curious despite her fatigue, Momo pushed herself off the ground and walked over to the window, drawing open one of the silky curtains. She had to open the pane of glass and lean over the ledge, but she saw it.

In the far distance, glittering in the dark skies, were fireworks. Though miles away, the small exploding rings were still beautiful. Momo allowed the curtain to fall shut behind her, blocking out the light of her room. She sat up on the ledge, leaning her head against the cold metal of the frame, relishing in the chill of the summer night. She watched, transfixed, as the sparks shot in the sky like a shooting star aiming for the moon, only to burst and fall back to earth in a million pieces of sparkling dust, each time imagining those were her problems, exploding into nothing.

The display had long ended before she realized she was gazing at a once again calm, silent sky. She slowly lifted her phone again.

' _Was that your doing?'_

' _The fireworks? While I appreciate the thought that I'd go to such lengths, no, I had nothing to do with them.'_

She managed a wry smile. ' _Well, thanks. For letting me know about them. They were pretty'_

There was a silence, where Momo just sat, staring out mindlessly at the night view, the thousands of lights sending up a dull glow, giving the sky a blue sheen. The numbness only grew as the cold air hit her face, and she wondered what life could possibly throw at her from here on out. Then, her phone buzzed again. She chose to ignore it, but as it lit up, again and again, she finally gave in. It was probably Mina, with the speed at which the texts were coming in.

To her surprise, it was still Todoroki.

' _The situation with your parents will pass.  
It may seem like it never will, and you probably want to fix it, but you can't.  
Coming to the realization that you can't do anything at all is probably the hardest part.'  
_Momo blinked at the incoming messages.  
' _My suggestion; learn from_ their _mistakes. Make sure you never become a person who can cause that much grief to anyone, let alone your family. We're all human, and mistakes are inevitable. But we have to learn to try.'_

His words were raw, and blunt, with the heartbreaking anguish only brought through personal experience. And there was a harsh wisdom to it, but it would take a while for her to come to terms with what that meant. What she couldn't understand was why Todoroki was still there, still bothering to help, and why he was telling her this in the first place.

' _Why…'_

She hesitated, unable to figure out the words to use, and then she sent it, as is. She stared at the screen, the digital light brightening up her face behind the gloom of her curtain. And she tried again.

' _Why are you still here? Helping me? Telling me all this?'_

His response came instantly.

' _Because you would do the same.'_

That stunned her. She didn't know where he had gotten that idea from. In fact, she had been sure he only felt the opposite, especially with how she'd blown him off the past week. Momo had been anything and everything one could be _except_ considerate. And she told him as such.

' _All that means is that you help without even knowing you're helping.'_

She didn't understand what he was talking about.

' _Just accept that someone is helping you, Yaoyorozu.  
No doubting yourself, no wondering why, no thinking that anyone has some ulterior motive.  
Just know that you deserve it.'_

Momo was effectively at a loss for words. And for someone like her, whose secondary quirk could have basically been verbal diarrhea, this was a first. Although he tended to leave her at a loss like this, and it was happening more and more. She _still_ didn't understand him though. The way he was taking his time, the way he was making sure she understood… it reminded her of Kyoka.

And then it hit her. And like a bell, the aftereffects resonated.

' _Todoroki?'_

' _?'_

' _Are we…'_ she sent this, paused, then continued the thought. ' _Friends?'_

' _-_-  
Obviously.'_

Her heart shot up to lodge itself in her throat, pounding so loud her ears throbbed.

' _Yaoyorozu?'_

' _Yes?'_

' _Never ask that again.'_

She laughed.

And for the first time since the start of that awful week, Momo finally believed that things would actually turn out okay.

* * *

A/N: _Yikes_ that was a long chapter! I really don't know if the length I've been going at is a good thing guys - I would have split this chapter down, but it ruins the whole 13 chapter limitation I have going for myself, plus, I needed somewhere to put in this final family scene...(it's probably the last of that though :P)

I'd really love to hear everyone's thoughts - did you like the first half, second half, _both._ Aizawa's bit was incredibly fun to write as well. I'm strangely nervous about this one (it's dialogue heavy, that's probably why), and hearing from you guys just soothes my soul like nothing else can! Thanks for reading guys, and until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: We reached over one hundred reviews? I'm- it's just- I can't- akshoehlhshahf~! **THANK YOU!** I'm so freaking happy, I can't even control it! And so, my incredibly incredible readers, I'm dumping this chapter SUPER EARLY on y'all, even though I'll be home in a couple of days and could post it then, but I don't _care!_

This kinda chill, transitional chapter (slightly shorter than usual – which will probably be made up by the really long chapters that will follow) is very much needed to officially say bye-bye friendship genre and helloooo romance ;) Hope you guys like it, and enjoy! :P

(On a side note, can someone say hype for the end-of-term test arc finally starting in the anime? Can't wait!)

* * *

 **The Eight Fault**

* * *

Why had she ever let Jiro talk her into watching that movie?

Momo walked the empty, dark corridor alone, back rod-straight, eyes set determinedly forwards, refusing to look in any other direction, making a beeline for the elevator. What felt like a cold breeze ran by and tickled her ankles. _'Why is there a breeze indoors?'_ The shadows flickered. _'Why didn't anyone bother putting in working lights?'_ Thuds sounded, muffled behind closed doors. ' _Whoever is up at this hour needs to get castrated!'_

She wasn't scared. Ohh no.

She was petrified.

It was the first peaceful night in the dorms, and Jiro had insisted on celebrating the passing of the license exams with a horror movie. How becoming a preliminary hero meant watching two and a half hours of third rate horror, she didn't know.

Momo was never one for horror. Not only was the entire premise ridiculous, but with her incredibly overactive imagination, she knew what it did to her (a week of nightmares and sleeping in her parents bed had been lesson enough), so she avoided it completely. But peer pressure got the best of her, and with all the girls gathered in Kyoka's room, (they would have used the common room, but the boys were being especially rowdy that night, and they simply weren't in the mood) popcorn and snacks at the ready, she couldn't turn it down.

It had now been an hour after the end of the movie. Everyone had dispersed back to their rooms (there simply wasn't enough space for a sleepover in a dorm room) and were probably fast asleep. Momo however had lain in bed, eyes wide open. Closing them made every sound too loud and too supernatural. Eyes open meant she saw every ripple of light coming in through her windows. Closing the curtains meant seeing shadows dance across them, like someone was _right. Outside._

Finally, deciding she wasn't any closer to sleeping than she was two hours ago, Momo decided on a trip to the kitchen, at 1 am. Her mother had always given her a glass of milk whenever her nerves needed calming, and calming is what she desperately needed just then. The lit elevator helped, and she felt her nerves simmer down as the digital numbers slowly decreased, hypnotized by the change of neon green. But hearing the ' _ting'_ of the elevator made her jump, popping her little bubble of serenity, and the sliding doors opening to reveal complete darkness gave her sudden palpitations.

Walking down to the kitchen, Momo spent longer than she'd care to admit searching for the light switch, heartbeat haywire and in a frenzy of pure, utter panic. When the lights finally turned on, she sighed heavily, her shoulders sinking in relief at the lack of any supernatural beings. Quietly, fluffy white slippers met the ground in silent thuds, Momo made her way over to the fridge, doing her best to fully ignore the darkness that still spread out behind her in the hallway of windows.

Opening the fridge, she sighed again. It had only been a day since the last restocking and already the boys had managed to suck it dry. Luckily, the mini cartons of milk, single person sized, were still left practically untouched (milk was obviously too boring a drink to have finished). She grabbed one.

"What are you-"

" _WAAAHH!"_ Her arm swung out in a large arc, wide-sweeping over the fridge door in an attempt at hitting whatever attacker had come to kill her. The fear, however, had made her grip limp and the carton of milk went flying to the other side of the kitchen, where it bounced off the cabinets and landed on the tiled floor with a thud.

She looked to see Todoroki giving her a bland stare over the fridge door.

"Oh for Pete's- Todoroki! Don't _do_ that!" she huffed, hand over her rapidly pounding heart. She was _not_ expecting people to be down here at one in the morning. Darn combined living places. There were _always_ people, _everywhere._

"Now that I know it'll get me beheaded, I won't," he stated. She glared at him, beads of cold sweat gathering at her temples. He walked around the fridge door. "Move over."

She obliged, granting him full access to the fridge as she went to pick up her milk. Momo stayed there, leaning against the opposite counter, poking the straw through the hole and started drinking, all the while glaring at his back. It was a far better alternative than looking out the large, pitch dark floor-to-ceiling windows U.A. had decided to _replace an entire wall with._

Todoroki finally straightened up again, hands full of an assortment of colorful vegetables. Of _course_ he'd have such a boringly perfect pick for a midnight snack. She continued sucking at her milk, watching as he moved from closet to closet. Eventually, he found himself a plate, and after giving everything a quick rinse in the sink, freed his hands, a rather content expression on his face. Honestly, she was happy to just observe him doing whatever the hell he was doing – he reminded her of a rabbit in its natural habitat.

Then the strangeness of this entire situation dawned on her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Making a salad," was his reply.

"No, I mean what are you doing down here?" she asked him.

"The guys are far too happy tonight; they're having some sort of…" he paused and looked up in thought. "Party. In the empty room on my floor. So I left."

Todoroki turned back to the fridge to pull out a bottle of juice.

"You're always separating yourself from them. Isn't that sort of… not allowed in the 'bro code' list of rules or something? Won't they get mad?"

He poured out the liquid into a glass. "They're forgiving," he said absently.

Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. "So you mean, you've been down here? Ever since?"

He returned the juice to the fridge and pulled out yet another bottle; salad dressing this time. "Fell asleep on one of those couches," he said, indicating the dark lounge area taking up the far corner of the common room.

"Just lying in the darkness?" she asked incredulously.

"Seeing as I was asleep," there was a click as he flicked open the bottle lid. "I didn't really care."

"…You're such a weirdo," she muttered, but loud enough for him to hear. Momo couldn't fathom how anyone could just…sleep anywhere, especially when the place wasn't your bed and everything was _so incredibly dark._ He ignored her, choosing instead to squirt ranch all over his plate, the bottle making a large squelching sound. After he was satisfied, he returned the bottle to the fridge, and then startled her by giving her a dry look, probably as a response to her statement. Momo lifted her chin; she'd thought he'd chosen to ignore her.

She opened her mouth to defend her words when, from the large, clear windows, she saw two bright red eyes staring straight at her. Momo let out a huge shriek, then immediately hid behind the counter, cowering in fear, trying to control her erratic breathing.

"Said the kettle to the pot," Todoroki quipped lightly, taking the first bite out of his rag-tag salad. He walked out of the small partition surrounding the kitchen, plate in hand, towards the window. Timidly, Momo got on her knees and peeked out over the top of the counter, watching him in anxious curiosity. He crouched down, took another crunch from a carrot, and then tapped gently on the glass. "It's just a cat."

She watched the eyes flash as it indeed appeared to be a cat looking away uninterestedly. Her eyes finally adjusting to the darkness outside and she watched the feline-shaped shadow lazily walk away. Todoroki turned around, raising an eyebrow at her in question. Momo sighed loudly, leaning her forehead against the top of the counter.

"You're scared," he commented lightly, cheeks puffed out rather adorably as he talked through a mouthful (she'd let etiquette slide, just this once).

"I am not."

"So jumping three feet in the air is a normal happening with you."

"I'm _not_ scared," she snapped, and then turned her back to him, leaning against the wall, slowly sinking down until she sat firmly on the floor. He didn't reply. Momo quietly drank the last of her milk, the telltale gurgling indicating she'd drained the carton thoroughly. Bringing her legs up, and placing her arms over her knees, she swung the empty carton by its straw, lost in thought. This wasn't helping; she was even more jumpy than before. The fact that Todoroki himself moved around like a ghost didn't help.

Speaking of which; he was being exceptionally quiet, even for him. Especially strange, since he'd usually take this opportunity to lecture her on her cowardice.

"What, no snarky comeback?" she asked loudly, not turning to actually face him.

No reply.

Momo blinked. She got up slightly, mentally berating herself as her heart unintentionally sped up, and again looked over the edge at the window he'd just been standing with. He was no longer there. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Todoroki?"

Momo tentatively stood up, and then looked down the hall towards the lounge area still bathed in shadows, the only thing lighting it the glow from the kitchen. It was empty. What in the world? She slowly made her way around the kitchen's small wall, and walked towards the glass. She peered out into the darkness.

Trees ruffled, and shadows flickered and she rapidly backed up, a chill running up her spine, hair standing on end, her grip so tight she had now crushed the thankfully empty milk carton. _'It's just a cat.'_ She chanted to herself, averting her eyes from the panes of glass. ' _Just a stupid cat, climbing through the branches. Or an owl.'_ She looked back at the empty kitchen. Todoroki's glass of juice still lay on the kitchen counter.

She shivered as another breeze ran past.

"O-okay Todoroki, I'm going to call it a night," she called out, her words echoing hollowly in the large, vacant space, making the wobble in her voice all the more obvious. And, pathetically, that only proceeded to amp up her fears. "I-I'm going back to my room now…"

She threw away the empty, crushed carton, and headed back towards the elevator, rounding the corner, trying her best not to run.

" _Boo_."

" _Gyaaah_!" she heard herself shriek again. Momo whipped around to see Todoroki hiding an extremely self-satisfied smirk behind taking yet another bite out his god-forsaken salad. "T- _Todoroki_!" she yelled breathlessly. "I-I can't… You little _sneak-_ "

"See? You're scared," he said matter-of-factly. "I didn't even put much effort into the whole thing."

He turned to walk back into the kitchen area, eyes closed and shoulders squared, the picture of utter confidence, expecting she would follow. Todoroki went and sat on the ledge of the kitchen, facing the dark windows into nightmare-ville, for some inexplicable reason, content with simply munching his food. Momo chose the more sane option of leaning against the doorframe where one couldn't see the darkness outside, arms crossed, still reeling from the fact that Todoroki had _scared her_ and the fact that _Todoroki_ had scared her.

"So what is it?" he asked finally. "Nightmares?"

Momo sighed. She might as well, now that it had gone this far. "A movie." He gave her a look. If only it _were_ something as cool and mysterious as nightmares. Momo felt a small flush of embarrassment color her cheeks.

"Movies are all lights and makeup. Or do you need me to break down how one is made?" She didn't reply, just simmered in her own frustration. "The music they add is key," he explained without her asking; sometimes she thought the guy just liked the sound of his own voice. Because there was no other reason for him to be speaking just then. "It's always the same kind too, to the point where it just gets predictable; you know exactly what they're doing, and yet it works. The suspense is still palpable."

"I know." Momo found herself replying despite wanting to disagree with everything he said. "Half the time, if you just replace the sound track with a happy one, everything just looks stupid."

"Exactly."

Momo let this sink in fully as he very clearly inflated with being right yet again. "No but in _this_ movie it was different!" she burst out. "They never reveal the monster or spirit or whatever! They just leave it up to your own imagination. It's the worst. And it lingers because you can't escape your own mind."

Todoroki remained quiet. However, somehow, dissecting it down and saying it out loud had made everything seem slightly less ominous. Todoroki scaring her had also probably helped lower the fear of the unknown as well, although she'd never admit to it.

"Well, it's late. I'm going to try getting some rest." Momo made to move towards the elevator.

"Will you be able to sleep?" she heard Todoroki ask.

"….it'll probably take a while," Momo replied honestly.

"Why couldn't you sleep before?" He asked, and when she turned around, it was to find him looking her full in the eye.

"I think we established the fact that it's because I'm a coward."

He waved her off with a shake of his head, leaning forward, "Was it the shadows? The darkness? The sounds?"

She considered his words for few seconds. "Probably the sounds. And the shadows. They kept shifting across the curtains. And-"

"So you're scared of what's outside your room?"

Momo honestly didn't know where he was going with this. "Yeah, I suppose."

Todoroki stood up from the ledge abruptly. "Then let's go outside," he said. "I've never understood people's fear of the night. It's quite peaceful." She just stared at him. He took one of the last pieces of ranch-covered broccoli from his plate and, after processing something, he held out the plate to her, clearly indicating for her to take the last piece.

"Uhh-"

"Just take it," he said, and so she uncertainly grabbed the final branch of broccoli, sniffing it for good measure. "Have you never had broccoli before?" he asked her flatly, watching her inspect the leafy green.

"Of course I have," and she took a bite. Seemingly appeased, Todoroki put the plate on the counter, and motioned for her to follow him out to the courtyard. "Do you always eat this late?"

"Every now and then."

"Seriously? What about metabolism?" she asked. "Metabolism drops during the night, you know."

"You're over-complicating things again," He said lightly. She huffed.

"I'll have you know circadian rhythm is a proven fact."

"I don't doubt that it is."

They had entered the garden now, the cool air gently blowing, and immediately gave rise to goosebumps all over her bare arms. The moon was bright, although the sky wasn't the clearest. Her eyes adjusted to the lighting, and she scanned the area, looking at the rows of trees running around the building, the well-kept grass, the trimmed hedges. There was even a small pond near the far end of the clearing.

"Everything has an explanation," Todoroki said, voice soft in the night air. He motioned towards the grounds. "The best thing to do is face your fear, and rip it from the roots."

The continuous rustling she had heard had obviously been due to the wind, made clear now that she was outside, her hair being tossed lackadaisically in the breeze. The shadows shifting were probably because it was a cloudy night, and every now and then, one would cover the moon, covering everything in a dark coat. Things were so much more fresh outside, and every second the wind blew against her skin, she felt her fears start to wash away.

' _Face your fear, eh…'_

Before she could speak, the tree nearby gave a rather intense shake. Momo felt her heart jump to her throat, and she shared a glance with Todoroki. He wasted no time walking towards the base of the tree, his left hand covered in flames. Just as he raised the impromptu torch, the tree shook again, and in a flurry of leaves, a large owl shot out of the top and flew away.

"An owl…" Momo breathed in relief.

Todoroki extinguished the flames, turning around to face her. He'd finished off the last of his broccoli and had his hands stuffed in his pajama pockets. He didn't say anything, but the light grin on his face spoke volumes. How he managed to look dignified in loose, stripy pajama pants was beyond her. She grinned back and then sat down with a hefty sigh.

"Ahh I'm so lame," she said, leaning back on her arms. "What kind of hero is afraid of the dark?"

He walked towards her, and sat down cross-legged on the grass adjacent to her. "The kind with an overactive imagination," Todoroki said simply. She smiled appreciatively, grateful to him for not poking fun at her.

"Or the kind with exceptional intelligence?" she asked.

"Don't push it."

She smothered a giggle and stared into the bushes, a peaceful silence falling over them. It was the sort of atmosphere she had grown accustomed to when with him. Todoroki brought to her life a sense of calm she didn't know was possible; where words mattered, and actions built respect – just as she liked it. Momo preferred it to the wild, hyperactive society heroism tended to bring. That wasn't to say she hated how a hero's life worked – she had chosen it after all. But times like these, where they could just sit quietly as the world sped past; she treasured them.

"I get it," Momo said finally. "Why you like the night so much. It's so…calm."

Todoroki looked at her for a moment. Then, as if deciding on something, he swiveled around to fully face her. "It's easy to get swept away. Yet as a hero, you can't leave yourself vulnerable, ever."

She sighed at his intensity. "I'm agreeing with you. Just take the compliment."

Todoroki glared lightly at her. "It was a segway; close your eyes."

"Excuse me?" she asked, blinking at the sudden request.

"Sensory training," he explained, slightly impatiently. Momo continued staring at him, still rather dazed, realizing he was about to _teach_ her something requiring actual concentration at _two_ in the morning. That was another thing about him; he moved with the flow of his own mind. Todoroki gave her a flat look as she continued gaping at him. "You shouldn't stare a gift horse in the mouth."

She grinned. "You just called yourself a horse."

"Do you want to learn or not?"

"Alright, alright. Teach me, sensei." She sat up straight and closed her eyes. She heard him give an exasperated sigh before speaking.

"Closing your eyes heightens the rest of your senses, and is especially effective at night."

His deep voice fit the calmness perfectly. Momo cracked her eyes open to look over at him. He had also closed his eyes, face slightly upturned, and once again, Momo found herself staring at him. With the gentle breeze stirring at his soft strands, eyelashes dark against his skin, features softened in a way that would have seemed relaxed if only his eyebrows weren't knit in their usual focused furrow, Todoroki seemed ... distant. Lost in thought.

Momo smirked. Payback time.

She slowly crept towards him, crawling on all fours, hand stretching out, ready to poke him in his previously discovered weak area (read: tickle spot). She was close; three feet. Then two-

"The thing about sensory training," his voice cut the silence. "Is that you're incredibly aware. It's almost as if you can see."

She blinked, and a cloud shifted, revealing the moon again. With a start, she realized he had cracked open a dark eye, focusing her with an unimpressed stare. Momo slumped back as he closed his eyes again, rather miffed at her failed attempt. After pouring out her frustration glaring at him, she huffed and closed her eyes as well. She'd get her chance.

A few minutes passed before she felt anything at all, and she felt the first of what it was Todoroki had been referring to. The key was switching off her thoughts. Once she'd done that, the world around her seemed much closer, and suddenly, much more alive. She heard everything; the rustles, the chirps, the breeze, the distant roar of an engine. Momo heard, and felt, her heart speed up in excitement, thrilled at the new broadening of sensations. She heard soft, barely audible little thumps on the grass, growing closer. Unable to douse her curiosity, she opened her right eye.

She froze in wonder as she watched a cat, probably the same one they'd seen before, walk right up to Todoroki, sniff him, then slink straight into his lap. The boy didn't move at all, eyes still closed, as if it was the most normal thing in the world and she glanced between his impassive features and the feline.

What was it with Todoroki and cats?

"In the beginning," his voice made her give a slight jerk. For trying to teach her the beauty of silence, he sure was keen on destroying it. "You can open your eyes to check where each sound originates. Eventually, they'll become so familiar you'll be able to picture everything in your head. That's the goal you want to achieve. Fighting in the dark no longer becomes a liability."

The cat had fixed her with a knowing, almost unimpressed look, looking perfectly at home curled up in Todoroki's lap. She stared right back at it, mulling over his words. This boy had 'becoming a hero' resonating down to his core. He always managed to turn everything into a lesson, or a stepping stone at improving. It was quite impressive, and just then, she felt even worse about ever having been so scared of a stupid movie.

The cat finally moved, fickle as it was, and soundlessly leapt up and was on its way, tail in the air, no acknowledgment given. Todoroki had finally opened his eyes, watching it go.

"Who taught you about this sensory way of fighting?" she asked. His eyes remained fixed on the cat.

"My father," He said. The way he said it had an air of finality to it, and she knew she couldn't press that subject.

"Todoroki," she started, quietly, and now his eyes were on her. "Do you want to talk about it?" Momo avoided his gaze, staring intently at the blades of grass she was twirling around her finger. "The license exam, I mean…"

"There's nothing to talk about," he said that in a way that initially sounded flippant, but now she knew to be sincere, like he honestly didn't understand the question. He paused for a bit, and she bit her lip, that familiar feeling of self-doubt curling in her belly. "Although it helps I'm not the only one."

Momo looked up, watching a smirk pull at his lips, and a giggle bubbled to the surface. "Don't let Bakugo hear you say that."

He smiled, then looked down at his left hand. "I understand why things ended the way they did. It was entirely my fault, and I just wish…I had been wiser."

"I think it was just luck," she said, and he looked at her again, his thumb tracing over his left palm absentmindedly. "It's an unfortunate way exams tend to be. What's incredible though," and she grinned at him wryly here. "Is that not one person thinks less of you. In fact, it's like you're even _more_ impressive than before."

He scrunched his brows at her. "I think you're trying to help, but it just sounds patronizing, coming from you."

She huffed. "Why did I even worry; you're not even slightly bothered."

"I told you there's nothing to talk about," he said.

Momo sighed, falling over to lie down flat on the grass, staring up at the sky. The lights of the city obscured most of the stars, leaving only the brightest to twinkle like dwindling specks of glitter. She ran a hand through her hair, dragging out the awkward bump that was her ponytail, resting her head more comfortably on the grass.

"Do you believe in aliens, Todoroki?" she asked suddenly. When she glanced over at him, it was to see he had closed his eyes again.

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"Really?"

"Yes. I think half the supervillains are aliens."

"No," she argued, unable to control the need to correct the contradiction to her arsenal of knowledge. "Most of them are humans with obscure quirks. And the rest are the result of freak mutations. There's been no sightings of UFOs, and honestly, if you think about it-"

That's when she caught the grin on his face. He was joking. She flung her hairtie at him, aimed perfectly to hit him square in the forehead – had he not caught it. She huffed, crossed her arms over her chest, glaring up at the expanse of sky above. "You jerk, I'm being serious here."

"I thought being serious was my thing." His voice was light.

"Throw me back my tie so I can hit you again." Todoroki ignored her. She huffed, turning to look back up at the sky. "That's what I get for trying to have a conversation."

"Alright, then. What constellations can you see, right now?"

Momo felt herself grin. "If I'm not mistaken, that one there, above the tree should be Vega, tail of Lyra," she said, pointing, and he looked up at the sky as well. He shuffled closer to her, following the trail of her finger to the sky, though how he would be able to pinpoint exactly where she was indicating without being flushed up against her, she didn't know. Thoughts of him flushed up against her flustered her though, and she shoved the thoughts aside.

"And since it's late summer," Momo tried continuing as smoothly as she could. "That one, by the wall, is probably Altair, from Aquila. And that orange one…is that Scorpius or…?"

"Mars," Todoroki said, leaning back on his hands. "And Ursa Minor should be up there somewhere, but it's probably behind the clouds. Nevertheless, I'm impressed. One can't beat you when it comes to knowledge, can they?"

The look he gave her was open, almost like he took pride in her vast array of facts. Momo said nothing, warmth bubbling inside, graciously taking in the rare compliment.

For a while, they sat there, looking at the pitifully few bright specks dotting the glowing, unnatural sky, watching as clouds raced with each other across the murky expanse. The breeze trickled past, brushing up softly against their skin, and the delicate sounds of nature echoed, like a lullaby. The first drops of sleep began hazing her thoughts.

"'We have calcium in our bones, iron in our veins; carbon in our souls and nitrogen in our brains; 93 percent stardust with souls made of flames. We are all just stars that have people names.'" She chanted softly. "by Nikita Gill. 'We're made of star stuff.'"

Shouto looked over at her just in time to catch her yawn widely, reflexively hiding the lack of elegance behind her hand. Well-mannered as ever. Her eyes reopened, heavy with sleep, and the words ' _show off'_ fell off the tip of his tongue as she blinked rapidly, trying to dislodge the yawn-tears. The lights and stars reflected off her dark irises, giving them a shimmer only the night could give, like some strange iridescent stone. And suddenly a distant memory arose, one he had forgotten he had.

"'We are stars wrapped in skin – the light you are looking for has always been within.'" He whispered, eyes fixed on her, so softly it was almost to himself. But in the silence of the night, she heard it.

"Where's that from?" she asked curiously, smothering another yawn.

"I'm not sure…" he said quietly, looking up again, watching a cloud cross over slowly over the moon. He chewed over his words for a while, wondering whether or not to divulge the information. "…my mother used to say that. All the time."

His eyes then glazed over, memories of an easier time; of him and his mother, escaping to the roof after a particularly tough day, losing themselves in the stars of the night sky. He remembered her first saying those words when he'd said something about wishing he were a star, miles away from his father. He hadn't remembered the words his mother spoke to him then, being only 5 when she'd left. But his sister had, and he'd written it down, so many times that he'd learnt them by heart.

"Was she the one who taught you constellations?" Momo asked, her soft voice gently invading his thoughts.

"Yeah."

He thought he felt her gaze on him, but when he turned to look, her eyes were closed, face turned skywards, the moonlight casting an ethereal glow on her pale skin.

"I loved space when I was little," she said, voice air-light. "It was all I would do. I was obsessed. I thought when I grew up, I'd make my own rocket and ride up there myself."

"You still could."

"I could. But priorities lie elsewhere now. Growing up is boring." She huffed out a smile. "What was your dream?"

Wide, awestruck eyes flashed through his mind; him running to the television whenever he heard that iconic laugh; images of him leaping around his room, careening an action figure through the air; always having to be peeled off of the screen and placed at a more vision-friendly distance, and always in the warmth and safety of his mother's lap.

"To be like All Might," he found himself admitting.

"All Might? Not like Endeavor?" Her question was innocent.

"No."

She looked at him, eyes magical and open once again, and he refused to meet her gaze. "…Your face doesn't tense up when you talk about your mother like it does with your father." The comment was unexpected, and for a moment, he was speechless. "Why don't you talk about her more?"

Right then, with the moon bright and the breeze cold, in the shadow of the night, with nobody as witness but the stars, Todoroki, for the first time ever, considered telling someone about his mother. For a split second, he considered telling her everything. Everything, not just the smallest details; of how big a part she was of who he'd become, how she was the source of any love he'd ever received.

How she'd burned him in a haze of pure, hateful insanity.

He said nothing though, and he said nothing for a very long time. His fingers gently tugged at a blade of grass. It was like she'd opened some strange Pandora's box and suddenly, just then... all he wanted to talk about was his mother.

"I don't talk about her because...she hasn't been home … not for a long time."

"…hm…" Yaoyorozu's response was too quiet and too distant, and when he looked over, it was to see her eyelids had fluttered closed, lashes ghosting her skin in an absolutely enchanting way, lips parted, as if she'd been about to say something; probably something quite nosy, knowing how miserable the control over her own curiosity was.

Long strands of dark hair had somehow lodged themselves into Yaoyorozu's mouth, ruffling with each breath, but not moving. Without thinking, he reached over and _very carefully,_ so as to not touch her skin, unhooked them, flicking it so they fell behind her ear. But just before he could pull back, she turned into his touch, and her lips and the tip of her nose brushed across his fingertips.

Instantly, he pulled away, drawing in a sharp breath, as if scalded. Todoroki stared at her, hard, wondering if she had done that on purpose. But she remained still, features relaxed in a way he knew she would only allow if she were asleep. Todoroki closed his mouth shut and ran his hand (the one _not_ still burning) over his face, stopping when it covered his mouth, lost deep in thought. The other one clenched tightly into a fist, trying in vain to suppress the tingling.

He remained like that for a very long time, moving only to pull his knees up, staring unseeingly at a distant spot, thinking only of soft skin and his mother's voice.

* * *

Rays of yellow and pink had begun streaking the sky when he finally decided to wake her.

Momo's eyes were sticky with sleep, and the back of her head hurt from being on hard ground for too long and she felt cold down to her marrow. As she tried desperately to open her eyes for longer than a second, she felt a light thud on her forehead. Momo managed to squint up, spotting the blurred outline of Todoroki, and dully realized he'd just flicked her hair-tie back at her.

"I think it's about time we go upstairs."

That's when she remembered everything; how she and Todoroki had stayed up all night, star gazing of all things, of how she'd fallen asleep, of how she had been afraid of her own bed. Momo sat up fully, and felt something fall off her shoulders. Looking down, she saw a blanket crumpled in her lap, and realized Todoroki must have brought it and covered her at some point.

Momo grabbed her ponytail and roughly tied her long, grass-ridden hair into a low, careless bun, and gathered up the blanket, clutching it to her chest as she tried standing up. She stumbled a bit as she straightened, but a strong grip on her upper arm steadied her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Thanks."

Todoroki didn't say anything, and silently helped her walk the first few steps before she regained her balance and continued on her own. Both of them headed back inside, the half-n-half hero sliding the glass door softly behind them.

It was a different world inside the building. Much warmer, for one. The darkness drowning the hallway just seemed calm now, like it was nature's attempt at helping everyone sleep. It seemed unreal to her that she had ever found this place scary, and her grip on the blanket tightened.

Todoroki walked passed her just then, and it hit her; he had spent the entire night, helping her get over her irrational, superficial fears. Time he could have spent doing literally anything else in the world; _sleeping,_ for one. Yet he wasted it on her. Pure, unbridled gratitude filled her, spreading warmth everywhere, restoring the feeling back to her numb limbs. He looked up, feeling her gaze, and shot her a questioning look.

"Thank you, Todoroki," she said, worrying if her thick, sleepy voice was able to adequately convey what she felt.

He smiled at her, his sleep-ridden eyes shining with mirth, and as her eyebrows furrowed in question, he gently steered her by the shoulders to look into a wall mirror. He had been grinning at her appearance, leaves and grass poking out of her tangled web of hair every which way, but she couldn't concentrate enough to worry about her appearance just then.

Instead, she stared at Todoroki.

His reflection next to hers was hypnotizing. He was looking into her eyes over her shoulder, a gentle, relaxed and open expression on his face as he plucked a twig from her scalp, such an extreme rarity, she could hardly believe she was seeing it at all. She studied the way his crimson strands clashed beautifully with her midnight black, how he was barely a few inches taller, how he was so close that if she only took half a step back, she'd be able to lean her head against the crook of his neck.

It hit her how badly she wanted to take that half step back.

The young ice hero seemed to realize she wasn't reacting to his subliminal teasing, and his smile faltered.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Perhaps it was the way she said it, perhaps it was the look she gave, but Todoroki suddenly stepped back, closing his eyes, right hand ruffling his hair in embarrassment. "You need to stop thanking me," he mumbled, walking past her to the kitchen. "Just accept that if you're in need, I will help."

"My hero."

It just slipped out.

Immediately, she froze, all warmth fading from her limbs as quickly as it had come. Todoroki turned around, his patented look of shock flashing all over his face. Their eyes met, and almost instantly, they both looked away; him quickly walking over to put some dirty dishes he'd left out into the sink, her just rubbing her left arm nervously through the thin blanket, a furious blush coloring her cheeks.

"A-Ahm," she cleared her throat, face on fire. She wished her body would just pick a temperature and stick with it. "Anyway, we should probably turn in now..."

"Yeah."

"Goodnight, Todoroki."

"Goodnight, Yaoyorozu."

Momo walked as if in a trance, stepping into the elevator her mind still full of blue eyes and grey eyes and red hair and gentle smiles. All she could think of was him. How he had helped her when she hadn't asked for it. How he _always_ helped her when she didn't ask for it. How he had stayed by her side all night. How he had looked at her, standing behind her, peering over her shoulder. She buried her nose in the blanket.

It smelled like grass.

She'd forgotten to give it back to him.

Momo blinked, realizing she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't bothered to push the button in the first place. The small number 5 lit up with a soothing glow as she pressed it.

Through the entirety of the ride up to the fifth floor, Momo experienced a flurry of uncontrolled changes. First, her heart seemed to not be able to slow down from its frenzied race, hammering against her rib cage like a frantic bird. Second, the flush had spread, deciding to creep down her neck, and up to her ears, giving her the uncomfortable idea that she must look like a demented crab, and her hold over the blanket only tightened. Time seemed to have slowed down, the numbers increasing at the world's slowest rate and her gaze remained adamantly fixed on the floor in front of her.

She was running on autopilot. As the doors chimed open, Momo stepped out onto the fifth floor landing and headed straight for her room. Her room was now alight with the dim glow of dawn, brighter than the kitchen downstairs had been, probably because her room was so high up. The curtains swayed gently in the calm breeze trickling in through the window, and the soft coos of morning birds made their way up.

But Momo didn't notice any of that. She sat on the edge of her bed, head buried in the balled up blanket she'd forgotten to return.

It was not until morning properly came, when the curtains were bright with sunlight, and the distant noise of morning traffic echoed dimly in the horizon that she came to the only possible conclusion. The diagnosis to her sudden symptoms.

She was – in all likelihood – falling for Shoto Todoroki.


End file.
